Cambridge Residency Programme – HCI Researcher & Maker

Power the next step-change in human cognition with Microsoft Research 

Are you passionate about exploring how generative AI can transform the way we think, learn, and create? Do you have a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) or a related field, and a talent for building innovative prototypes? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you! 

The Microsoft Research Tools for Thought (T4T) project, based in Cambridge UK, is seeking a dynamic and creative researcher with engineering and design skills to join our team as a Post-Doctoral Resident. This two-year position offers a unique chance to work with a multi-disciplinary team of social scientists, designers, machine learning researchers, and engineers. Together, we'll explore the cutting-edge of AI and its impact on human cognition. 

Responsibilities

• Collaborate and Innovate: Work closely with the T4T team to shape our research agenda and project work. Your ideas and insights will help turn foundational research into interactive AI system prototypes.  

• Design and Develop: Create and test interactive prototypes that blend user experiences with machine learning technologies. Your work will help us understand and enhance critical thinking, metacognition, reflection, planning, sensemaking, expertise, learning, and creativity. The AI experiences should either address current work scenarios or explore future workflows made possible by AI, showing a deep understanding of their context and accessibility to diverse users. 

• Learn and Lead: Take a role in existing research projects and develop your own seedling projects. Connect with partners across Microsoft Research, product teams, and academia to push the boundaries of what's possible. 

Qualifications

• Research Excellence: A PhD (or near completion) in HCI or a related field (e.g., Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Cognitive Science). Experience conducting research with people, preferably with high ecological validity. You should have experience in researching how AI affects thinking and have developed prototypes or systems that demonstrate this. 

• Demonstrated ability to build interactive prototypes. Experience creating interfaces with web frameworks, such as React (HTML, Javscript/Typescript). Build backend systems that integrate generative AI with system prompt engineering, using technologies such as NodeJS, Python (e.g. Plotly, Django, Flask, FastAPI). Incorporating UX/UI design tools such as Figma/Sketch into your process. Not required but a plus - experience evaluating LLM/SLM outputs and knowledge of model tuning methods to enhance AI performance, and machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow and Pytorch.  

• Creative Vision: A passion for exploring new ways AI can augment human thinking. Experience designing systems that address real-world scenarios or envision future workflows. 

• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to translate research findings into practical actions and communicate complex ideas to non-expert audiences. 

• Project Management: Strong project and time management skills. Experience working in multi-disciplinary teams and managing multiple projects simultaneously. 

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.