Research Intern - Extended Perception Interaction Cognition (EPIC)
About The Position
This is a research internship with Microsoft Research’s Extended Perception, Interaction & Cognition (EPIC) group at the Redmond Lab. The group conducts fundamental research at the intersection of hardware, software, and human potential, studying Human-Computer Interaction through prototyping, system-building, design sketching, and observational study of human behavior. The internship focuses on creating interactive experiences that blend artificial and human intelligence. Research topics include combining generative AI with interaction design to change how people work with content, and developing multimodal interfaces that adapt in real time to users’ tasks and contexts. Projects may involve generative AI technologies such as large language models, vision-language models, Stable Diffusion, video/world/action models, real-time models, and multi-agent development; building HCI prototypes and agents; interaction and experience design; or UX research. Interns collaborate with mentors, other interns, and researchers, present findings, and contribute to research and development. The internship lasts 12 weeks. Research internships are offered year-round and typically begin in summer. Interns are expected to work physically at their manager’s Microsoft worksite for the internship’s duration. The role has multiple positions available.
Requirements
- Currently enrolled in a Doctorate Degree program in Computer Science or a related STEM field.
- Physically located at the manager’s Microsoft worksite for the duration of the internship.
- Submit contact information for references, who may be contacted if needed.
- Programming and software architecture fundamentals sufficient to guide coding agents, review generated code, and validate system behavior.
- Relevant skills may include generative AI technologies such as LLMs, VLMs, Stable Diffusion, video/world/action models, real-time models, and multi-agent development; or experience building interactive prototypes with TypeScript, Node.js, and React using coding agents and agentic workflows.
Nice To Haves
- At least 1 year of experience conducting original research in Human-Computer Interaction or a closely related area.
- Ability to document research contributions using publicly available resources, such as papers, preprints, videos, demonstrations, repositories, articles, press coverage, or research proposals in the submitted CV.
- Depending on the project: interaction design experience with multimodal interactions (touch, pen, speech), context sensing, or responsive and adaptive UIs.
- Depending on the project: experience-design skills such as storyboarding and envisioning video techniques.
- Depending on the project: UX research experience conducting qualitative and quantitative user studies.
Responsibilities
- Conduct research and contribute to research and development in the internship’s focus areas.
- Collaborate with assigned mentors, fellow Research Interns, and researchers.
- Present research findings.
- Contribute to the research community and its activities.
- Develop interactive experiences that combine artificial and human intelligence, as applicable to the project.
- Build interactive prototypes and systems, potentially using agentic development workflows.
- Depending on the project, devise multimodal interactions, create experience-design materials, or conduct qualitative and quantitative user studies.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Intern
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
