Researcher - Mercari / R4D (internship)

Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

Internship Entry-level / Junior

Mercari, Inc.

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Posted 2 hours ago

本ポジションは日本語JDの用意がありません。

Researcher - Mercari / R4D (internship)

Employment Status:　Intern
Work Hours: Shift

Office: Roppongi

For more details, see the Overview of Our Positions section on our Careers site.

Introduction

Circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people

"What can I do to help society thrive with the finite resources we have?" The Mercari marketplace app was born in 2013 out of this thought by our founder Shintaro Yamada as he traveled the world. We believe that by circulating all forms of value, not just physical things and money, we can create opportunities for anyone to realize their dreams and contribute to society and the people around them. Mercari aims to use technology to connect people all over the world and create a world where anyone can unleash their potential. For more information about Mercari Group’s mission, see Mercari's Culture Doc.

Equal Opportunity Hiring

Here at Mercari, we work to realize a world in which no one’s potential is limited by their background and everyone has the opportunity to freely create value. We also firmly believe that a mindset of Inclusion & Diversity is essential for us to achieve our mission.This, of course, extends to our hiring practices as well.

Mercari is committed to eliminating discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, physical disability, and other such factors so that anyone who shares our mission and values can join us, regardless of their background. For more details, please read our I&D Statement.

Team’s Mission / Work Responsibilities

＜R4D team’s mission＞

Under the mission of "Pioneering the path toward undiscovered value," Mercari Group

established the R&D organization, Mercari R4D, to contribute to the realization of a

society that circulates all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people, and to

foment the future of innovation. At R4D, we have been working on creating pathways to

new value, emphasizing a co-innovation approach.Co-innovation is an R&D mechanism that aims to solve social issues and realize a better society by engaging in collaboration beyond the boundaries of communities such fields as industry and academia, and even going beyond national borders. Ever since its establishment, R4D has always aimed to be a hub that connects all communities.

As a step toward becoming a world-leading center for co-innovation, R4D wants to create a place where everyone can experience the potential of future innovation through our research.

Currently, focusing on the core concept of "using technology to change the way we exchange value," R4D has been working on sparking innovation in Mercari Group's services and businesses, including areas such as AI, blockchain, HCI (Human Computer Interaction), quantum computing, mobility, communication, ELSI, and more.

For the R4D Research intern position, we are looking for researchers on challenging research projects on the following themes. As one of R4D’s researchers, the R4D research interns work closely with internal product teams at Mercari Group and external research institutes such as universities to lead research projects with the goal of sparking innovation.

(Learn more about Mercari's mission and values here.) Specific research themes are as follows.

a11y / HCI Internship Themes

Scope: 2-3 month research project based on state-of-the-art research in accessibility/HCI. Deliverable: a working prototype, with potential for later evaluation and publication. Targeted contribution: sufficient for a poster submission at top conferences like ACM ASSETS or ACM CHI.

Required Experience: Mobile or web development experience, experience running models (locally or remotely using Python, PyTorch, OpenAI API, etc.), and academic research skills (literature review, understanding research areas).

Theme 1: Accessible and Automated Item Listing Creation, Editing, and Search

Problem: Creating, editing, and searching for item listings that have photos and descriptions, including details like product flaws, is a major barrier for visually impaired sellers on C2C platforms.
Project Goal: Research and prototype an accessible listing creation process. Includes a limited-scope survey.
Related Papers:

Theme 2: Accessible Authentication, Identity Verification, Privacy and Security

Problem: Current authentication/verification methods (photos, forms, on-screen movements) are inaccessible to visually impaired users and pose privacy risks. Similarly, users may leak private information through 3rd-party assistance applications
Project Goal: Research and propose a prototype for accessible and secure authentication/verification for Mercari users.
Related Papers:

Theme 3: UI Generation and Testing for Online Shopping Accessibility

Problem: How can generative models create adaptive, accessible interfaces for users with disabilities? How can AI be used to verify the accessibility of interfaces?
Project Goal: Develop a prototype that either addresses a specific interface accessibility issue or optimizes UI testing and deployment using Generative AI.
Related Papers:

Unique and Bold Challenges

Contribute to Mercari's mission of "Circulate all forms of value to unleash the potential in all people'' by being involved in cutting-edge research and development.
Experience a rare position within the company that will allow you to take on the
highly valuable challenge of implementing the results of your research into society.
Collaborate with researchers from universities, enabling us as a private company to carry out long-term research projects that are not bound by conventional frameworks.
Obtain technical input from Mercari Group products and services, such as the
Mercari marketplace app and the Merpay payment services, which are used by 20 million people each month.

Required Qualifications

Shared understanding and belief in our company’s mission and values
Graduate students who are currently enrolled in a PhD course.
Able to communicate in English(Reading, Writing, Conversation)
Able to join Mercari after October 2026 as a new graduate.
Able to work at least 20 hours per week during a 2-3 month internship.

Preferred Qualifications

Motivated to open the door to new research fields and work with various stakeholders to implement specific ideas that contribute to Mercari's mission.