Data Science PhD internship (Operations Research)

About the role

The Tesco Data Science team are offering 12-week paid internships for PhD students within the team. The start date for each internship is flexible but must be between June and August 2026.

At Tesco, our Data Science team focus on modelling complex business problems and deploying data products at scale. A key part of this is using Operational Research techniques to optimise automated processes and to support decision making. Our work spans across multiple areas including physical stores, online, supply chain, and last mile delivery. This requires our Data Scientists to have an advanced understanding of advanced exact, heuristic, or metaheuristic algorithms and statistics. The team itself is made up of researchers and practitioners with varied backgrounds from both academia and the business world.

As an intern, you will join the team and get hands on experience of what it's like to be a Data Scientist at Tesco. You'll work with the team on helping us solve an exciting real-life problem. In addition to the technical mentorship and training provided by the team we will also provide a personal mentor to help you get the most out of the internship.

If that sounds exciting, then we'd love to hear from you!

The position will be based in either our London (Farringdon) office or our Welwyn Garden City campus.

What is in it for you
We're all about the little helps. That's why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you - both in and out of work. Click Here "to find out more!

Annual bonus scheme of up to 10% of base salary

Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)

26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years' service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave

Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

You will be responsible for
This is a hands-on position where you will need to use an analytical approach to find solutions to complex problems. As a PhD Intern you will work within the Data Science team, to understand difficult business problems and prototype solutions. A core component of the role is to translate business problems to operations research problems and then solve them. Our interns will need to be able to validate, document and present the modelling process and performances, as well as communicate complex solutions in a clear, understandable way to non-experts.

You will need
We are looking for ambitious PhD students (in their final or penultimate year) or Postdoctoral Researchers with a strong numerical background and a strong desire to pursue a career in data science.

An ideal candidate will have a scientific mentality with the ability to ask the right questions, as well as answer them. Experience in one or more of the following fields would be ideal:
• Mathematical Programming (including Mixed Integer Linear Programming)
• Metaheuristics
• Stochastic Optimisation
• Simulation

Finally, good programming skills are essential (either Python or Java is preferred) and ideally some familiarity with SWE best practices (such as version control and unit testing).

About us
Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is 'Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day'. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We're proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we're committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please click here.

We're a big business and we can offer a range of diverse full-time & part-time working patterns across our many business areas, which means that we can find something that works for you. We work in a more blended pattern - combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. If you are applying internally, please speak to the Hiring Manager about how this can work for you - Everyone is welcome at Tesco