Graduate Student, Forward Deployed Engineer

Ascendance Foundry (AF) is recruiting for its W27 (January–April 2027) Graduate Fellowship: a paid, four-month placement with an industry client, mentorship from industry experts, and training in AI fundamentals and practical skills. This posting is for the Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE) track, where Fellows build, deploy, and maintain AI solutions embedded within a client's engineering team.

AF places Fellows directly inside a client's team to solve a mission-critical problem over a four-month term. As a Forward-Deployed Engineering Fellow, you'll build, deploy, and maintain AI solutions embedded with a client's engineering team, shipping real features and automations—not a side project.

You'll complete AF's three-module course alongside the placement:

Weekly mentorship from industry experts runs throughout, alongside the same stand-ups, demo days, and Q&As as AF's core Fellowship. In month 3, AF and the client discuss converting the placement into a full-time offer.

The types of projects available vary from term to term, depending on the needs of our clients, but generally fall into three broad categories: a) Strategy & Management Consulting, b) Analytics & Data Science, and c) Custom Application Development. While not all projects available to Fellows will be finalized and contracted by the Match date, here is a representative sample of projects we are working on now. In addition, there will be at least one opening focused internally on improving our educational programming and expanding our reach with industry.

MITACS FUNDING

This placement may be eligible for funding through Mitacs (the Canadian program co-funding graduate internships connecting academic research with industry). Where eligible, this can supplement the fellowship stipend and strengthen support from universities and supervisors. Ask about eligibility when applying.

HOW TO APPLY

Responsibilities vary with project placement, but Fellows will grow skills across all of the following areas:

All Ascendance Fellows receive non-negotiable compensation of $15,000 for the 4-month term along with the educational programming. As part of the Ascendance Foundry alumni network, you maintain access to weekly expert seminars and the annual conference. Optional part-time consulting opportunities at higher rates are offered to top alumni to mentor students and support future projects.