Senior Human-Centered AI Researcher, Personal Intelligence & Experiences

Apple•Cupertino, CA

About The Position

Apple is seeking a Senior Human-Centered AI Researcher to shape software experiences across its ecosystem. The role leads research into how people interact with emerging AI capabilities and established software experiences, and translates behavioral insights into recommendations that influence product direction, design, quality, and customer experience. The researcher will independently lead initiatives across multiple product areas and throughout the software and AI-feature development lifecycle, from understanding user needs and expectations to evaluating prototypes, refining features, and assessing product experience quality. The work combines rigorous qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research, experimental design, statistical analysis, and insights from behavioral telemetry and self-reported measures. The role partners with engineering, design, product marketing, data science, and AI/ML modeling teams to align research with product and technical priorities. It also develops evaluation frameworks, experience metrics, and success criteria; communicates findings and recommendations to cross-functional teams and senior executives; contributes to research strategy and methodological practices; and mentors other researchers.

Requirements

PhD in Cognitive Science, Experimental Psychology, Neuroscience, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field, with substantial training in quantitative and qualitative research.
At least 5 years of relevant experience conducting human-centered research in technology or software product development.
Formal training and demonstrated expertise in experimental design, including hypothesis development, study design, sampling strategies, randomization, measurement, and interpretation of experimental results.
Strong statistical proficiency, including techniques such as t-tests, ANOVA, regression models, clustering, factor analysis, mixed-effects models, repeated-measures analysis, or other multivariate approaches; ability to select, apply, and interpret appropriate analyses for complex research questions.
Demonstrated expertise in qualitative and quantitative methods, including survey design, usability testing, EMA, diary studies, field experiments, or other longitudinal and in-situ research programs.
Experience using AI-assisted tools and workflows across the research lifecycle, such as research design, data processing, analysis, and synthesis, and critically evaluating AI-generated outputs for accuracy and validity.
Experience researching AI-powered products, generative AI, intelligent systems, or emerging software interaction paradigms.
Experience combining behavioral telemetry, self-reported measures, and qualitative findings to inform product decisions.
Ability to translate complex research findings into actionable recommendations and communicate effectively through presentations to senior leadership and executive audiences.
Demonstrated ability to influence product strategy, navigate ambiguous research questions, and provide methodological mentorship to other researchers.

Responsibilities

Define and lead human-centered research strategies across software and AI-powered experiences, identifying research questions and opportunities that inform product development.
Design and conduct qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies, including controlled experiments, surveys, usability evaluations, interviews, longitudinal studies, and Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA).
Apply experimental design principles and statistical techniques to evaluate user behavior, perceptions, expectations, and experience quality.
Lead research across the software and AI-feature development lifecycle, from user-needs research through prototype evaluation, feature refinement, and product quality assessment.
Develop human-centered evaluation frameworks, experience metrics, and success criteria for assessing usability, usefulness, reliability, and perceived quality.
Partner with engineering, design, product marketing, data science, and AI/ML modeling teams to align research objectives with product and technical priorities, inform tradeoffs, and guide feature development.
Integrate qualitative research, self-reported measures, experimental data, and behavioral telemetry to build a comprehensive understanding of user experience.
Present complex research findings and recommendations to cross-functional teams, senior leadership, and executives, influencing product direction and development decisions.
Provide methodological and technical leadership across projects, mentor researchers, develop scalable research approaches, and advance organizational research practices.
Contribute to research strategy and advance methodological practices.