Research Intern - Socio-Technical Workflow Analysis

Microsoft • Redmond, WA

15h • Onsite

About The Position

Research Internships at Microsoft bring doctoral candidates together with researchers and engineers working across a wide range of fields. The goal is simple: learn by doing work that matters. Within Microsoft Research, we are looking at how teams get real work done across research, engineering, and program management. That includes how people plan projects, analyze results, share information, and stay aligned across groups. A range of emerging tools are being introduced to support how teams collaborate and manage work across projects, including tasks like information synthesis, planning, and coordination. As these capabilities evolve, teams are exploring where they fit best and what makes them effective in practice. This internship focuses on understanding those real-world workflows and translating observations into guidance that helps teams adopt new tools thoughtfully and effectively. This position is designed as a Research Internship with a program management lens. The work focuses on understanding how systems and teams operate in practice, and on translating observations into clear research and business insights that can inform how tools and workflows evolve over time. This Research Internship focuses on understanding what is actually happening on the ground. What do teams use? What do they ignore? What works well, and what gets in the way? The goal is to build a clear, grounded view of how these tools fit into day-to-day work and what would make them more useful in practice.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in a PhD program in a field such as Organizational Psychology, Sociology, Communication, Behavioral Science, or a related field like Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, or Information Science.
• At least 1 year of experience conducting research or analysis related to human-computer interaction, socio-technical systems, or collaborative workflows.
• Research Interns are expected to be physically located in their manager’s Microsoft worksite location for the duration of their internship.
• In addition to the qualifications below, you’ll need to submit a minimum of two reference letters for this position as well as a cover letter and any relevant work or research samples.

Nice To Haves

• Experience studying how individuals or teams adopt, adapt to, or resist new tools, technologies, or workflows.
• Experience conducting research or applied work in areas such as human-computer interaction, organizational psychology, sociology, communication, or behavioral science, particularly in real-world settings.
• Experience working on socio-technical systems, where technical tools and human behavior interact (for example, collaboration tools, developer platforms, or research environments).
• Experience synthesizing qualitative and/or quantitative observations into clear, practical recommendations that can inform product, design, or organizational decisions.
• Experience working in or closely engaging with technical environments, such as software development, data science, or research teams.
• Experience translating between different groups (for example, research, engineering, and program management) and aligning perspectives across roles.
• Interest in how trust, decision-making, and coordination evolve as new tools are introduced into existing workflows.
• Interest in improving how people work together across teams, disciplines, and organizational boundaries.
• We encourage candidates from a range of disciplines to apply, even if your experience does not align perfectly with every preferred qualification.

Responsibilities

• Work with researchers, engineers, and program managers to understand how work flows across projects and teams.
• Observe how tools are used in practice, including where they help and where there are opportunities to improve.
• Look for patterns across roles, rather than focusing on a single team or workflow.
• Pay attention to how people make decisions about using or not using specific tools.
• Summarize findings in a way that is clear and useful to others.
• Suggest practical improvements to tools, onboarding approaches, or usage guidance.
• Share research and actionable insights through written summaries and presentations.

Benefits

• Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-intern-pay

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees