Overview
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.
Responsibilities
Research Interns put inquiry and theory into practice. Alongside fellow doctoral candidates and some of the world’s best researchers, Research Interns learn, collaborate, and network for life. Research Interns not only advance their own careers, but they also contribute to exciting research and development strides. During the 12-week internship, Research Interns are paired with mentors and expected to collaborate with other Research Interns and researchers, present findings, and contribute to the vibrant life of the community. Research internships are available in all areas of research, and are offered year-round, though they typically begin in the summer.
Additional 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.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- 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.
Other Requirements
- 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. After you submit your application, a request for letters may be sent to your list of references on your behalf. Note that reference letters cannot be requested until after you have submitted your application, and furthermore, that they might not be automatically requested for all candidates. You may wish to alert your letter writers in advance, so they will be ready to submit your letter.
Preferred Qualifications
- 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.
The base pay range for this internship is USD $6,710 - $13,270 per month. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $8,760 - $14,360 per month.
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
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about **requesting accommodations.**