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Comment by cinjon | Hacker News Reader

Hi there! I'm Cinjon, a current resident in the Google Brain Residency. Feel free to ask any Qs and I'll answer them.

What does Google look for in applicants for this program? I have an undergraduate pure math degree and an undergraduate publication in mathematics.

My aim is to complete a PhD in CS. I'm currently taking CS coursework before I apply to programs (making up the difference from my math degree). My goal is to do research in machine learning and this program piques my interest. Wonder if someone like myself would qualify... looks potentially tailored/or preferred for those already in PhD programs.

I think that's a great background for the program and matches a bunch of the current residents. You should definitely apply. I suspect it will only make your later PhD experience better.

You should just apply. The people you're trying to impress are researchers and engineers, and they have a long history evaluating folks who have proven their merit outside of academia.

Ok great, thanks! Gives me hope ;-).

Hi! Thanks for taking your time doing this. Are there projects in the intersection between deep learning and neuroscience? As mentioned there are people with neuroscience background but from the papers mentioned, I dont see something really neuroscience related.

GB (and Google more broadly) are very interested in this intersection. So yes, there are opportunities to do awesome work here, albeit actually working in a wet-lab is more difficult.

Hey, Thank you for answering questions. I was wondering if any of you have blogs describing your experiences so far.

Also: I was wondering how much you interact with the other current residents in the program. Are you all together coming up with new ideas? Or are there multiple small group with their own interests...

Here's a great blog from one of the residents - http://blog.otoro.net/

It's like any other (research) endeavor with lots of people involved. Some of us share research interests and so we coalesce around efforts towards accomplishing those goals. Out of the resident pool, I am currently working with Ryan and have had some discussions about collaborations with Denny and Justin.

Take a look at the published papers though and you can see some pairs that have flourished by working in the same vicinity.

This is a wonderful part of the program though, and it doesn't stop with the Residents. Brain is such a great place for ideas to meld and for people to come together to collaborate; it's designed to encourage that.

What's your background? Given the rather stringent entry requirements, why do you think you were accepted? I'm guessing this is an extremely competitive placement!

Demonstrated interest. From peers in the program, I have found that to be the most consistent marker.

(MIT --> Startups --> Research --> GB)

Thanks, I'm curious as I have a PhD in computer vision and now work for a small company. It wasn't machine learning based, but all this stuff kicked off in the middle of it - had I started now, I would guess it would almost certainly involve deep learning as that's where all the money is. It's looking more and more like we're going to start leveraging deep learning at work. This sounds something that would be really interesting to apply for in the next batch (assuming it's around in 2018).

Why aren't any of you geniuses working on AGI? Such as applying some of these NN advancements to agents in diverse 3d virtual environments attempting varied/gradually increasingly complex tasks and learning based on low-level (grounded) sensory inputs?

Isn't that the point of DeepMind?

On the residency program page it says Google will sponsor visas for eligible applicants, but the application page it says applicants must be eligible to work in the US. As someone who will be required a working visa, which one is it? Thanks!

Trust the FAQ. Note, of course, that sponsoring a visa isn't a guarantee of success, IIRC.

I'm a self taught somewhat prolific game developer and super interested in AI but have a poor mathematics background, think there's any chance?

I think I'll learn it on my own for now and try again next year!

Is there a path for regular SWEs at Google to transition into a Brain-like role? I.e. with opportunities to do research, work on the problems you all work on.

Yes, there's the "ML ninjas" program, which brings non-ML SWEs into brain and other groups for a deep dive into machine learning through a project-based approach. (Often, but not exclusively, inspired by a problem from their originating area.). It's not a transition per se, but a great outcome is that the person becomes a bridge for their team between their specific domain of expertise and machine learning.

A full transition would be done by the usual transfer mechanisms. Two of my former students have switched into Brain from elsewhere in Google, for example.

What's the interview process like?

Off the cuff, and probably a lot updated since, you should think of it like the normal Google interview but geared towards figuring out how well you'd do in the research environment. Prepare for the former but understand the latter.

So, coding algorithms and data structures in a white board?

On the phone (joking I have no idea)

Hey Cinjon, I am wondering if I may ping you off line for a few questions about applying for this program? I am currently completing a master's in robotics and doing natural language processing research. And just heads up I also replied to hardmaru's comments with a more complete self introduction.

Given what you wrote to Hardmaru, I think you should just apply. The description you gave is a competitive one. Highlight it and then do well on the interview :).

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