Data Science Intern

Key Skills

Machine learning techniques, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Python Programming, R Programming, SQL

Job Description

We are one of the world’s leading economic consulting firms. We strive to recruit and develop talented people to work together to produce meaningful economic analysis of exceptional quality, and to create a positive impact on our clients and society.

Our European Practices provide expert economic advice on competition policy, economic and financial regulation, public policy and the assessment of damages in complex disputes. We work on some of the most high-profile cases before the European Commission, the General Court and national competition authorities, regulators and courts.

We believe that working in diverse teams, where everybody’s views are considered and respected, helps us to deliver work of the highest standards of quality and integrity.

Compass Lexecon is one of the world’s leading economic consultancy firms. Our European Practices provide economic advice on competition policy, economic and financial regulation, public policy and the assessment of damages in complex disputes. We work on some of the most high-profile cases before the European Commission, the General Court and national competition authorities, regulators and courts.

Compass Lexecon is recruiting an Intern to join the Data Science team (part of the broader Research Team). Data is a core part of every project at Compass Lexecon and turning that data into compelling empirical analysis is fundamental to what we do. With increasing amounts of data being generated and made available, there are exciting opportunities to apply tools from data science, machine learning, and data engineering to the challenging policy and competition questions that arise in our work. Some examples of the work the team has done so far include:

Developing and deploying tools in Python to conduct geographical analysis – what is the effect on consumers if companies A and B merge but most of their stores are within 30 mins of each other?

Conducting Natural Language Processing on competition authority decisions to analyse trends in enforcement – what topics are the authorities most concerned about, and how is this changing?

Using network analysis on patent datasets to understand developments in innovation within an industry – who are the most important innovators within a technology, and how will this affect consumers down the line?

Building large-scale web scrapers to construct datasets – do we and our clients have a full picture of the competitive situation in an industry?

The team aims to (a) advance our thought leadership in the industry by introducing new tools and techniques to address challenges encountered in economic consulting, bringing Compass Lexecon to the forefront of data analytics, and (b) broaden and deepen all Compass Lexecon economists’ specialist skillsets to offer our clients the most effective, creative and cutting-edge analysis and advice. In doing so, we aim to push the frontier of how data is used to shape markets in some of the world’s most important industries.

Interns join us whilst in their final year of Bachelor or Master’s degree for 2 to 6 months. Please indicate in your cover letter when you would be available to start your internship and your preferred duration. You will be based in either Berlin, Brussels, Dusseldorf, London, Madrid, Milan or Paris and work closely with other data scientists located across our European offices.

The role:

• Working on client-facing projects, you will apply data science tools to solve real-world competition and regulatory challenges faced by businesses. Each project is different – one week you may be helping to solve a difficult data engineering challenge, the next you may be working on causal statistical models.

• Contributing to cutting-edge research projects, you will be helping develop Compass Lexecon’s thought leadership in the application of advanced analytics to competition and finance cases.

You should apply if you are:

• Currently undertaking final year of Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in computer science, applied mathematics, statistics, machine learning, economics, or operations research.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (in particular, Python, R, and SQL)
• Keen interest in a variety of data science tools and concepts (such as machine learning, natural language processing, data infrastructure, and version control systems).
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative environment

We believe that working in diverse teams, where everybody’s views are considered and respected, helps us to deliver work of the highest standards of quality and integrity.

Benefits of working at Compass Lexecon:

• Competitive salary and benefits
• A wide variety of interesting and challenging projects
• An international team with a broad range of backgrounds and experience
• A blend of professional and academic environments
• The opportunity to work with top law firms, corporations, government bodies and academics
• A steep learning curve, coupled with a supportive and collaborative team
• The opportunity to contribute from day one