Research Internships at Microsoft provide a dynamic environment for research careers with a network of world-class research labs led by globally-recognized scientists and engineers, who pursue innovation in a range of scientific and technical disciplines to help solve complex challenges in diverse fields, including computing, healthcare, economics, and the environment.

Microsoft Research New England is looking for advanced PhD students who are bringing sociotechnical perspectives to analyze critical issues of our time, to apply for our summer Research Internship. They will join a team of social scientists who use qualitative or quantitative, empirical or critical methods to study the social, political, and cultural dynamics that shape technologies and their consequences. Our work draws on and spans several disciplines, including anthropology, communication, sociology, gender & sexuality studies, history, information studies, law, media studies, science & technology studies. 

 

We are especially interested in candidates bringing sociotechnical approaches to the study of:

Cultural, political, and ethical implications of our increasing reliance on semi-automated, global, data-centric digital systems.Emerging uses of, norms about, and media representations of new information technologies, particularly in relation to shifting work dynamics, creative expression, and social relationships.Intersectional dimensions of identity as they entangle with these systems, including race, caste, and indigeneity; genders and sexualities; class and socioeconomic status.How existing political and commercial institutions both configure and are configured by sociotechnical systems.Political economies and organizational forms of digital labor - especially hidden data work - whether in community, government, non-profit, creator economy, or private-sector contexts.Alternative approaches to the design and governance of responsible technologies, emphasizing equity, community engagement, and mutual aid.Public responsibilities of algorithms, generative artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, platforms, metrics, and other manifestations of computational cultures.

Questions our researchers are currently focused on include: 

How are cultural norms emerging around generative AI?   How do platforms, algorithmic intermediaries, and generative AI, through their design and policies, shape public discourseHow could commercial AI models and tools better account for diverse social settings and labor practices, to promote more equitable outcomes - particularly those that cannot be easily measured?

Applications are due December 6, 2024. Due to the volume of applications, late submissions (including submissions missing elements of the application package, other than letters of recommendation) will not be considered. We will not be able to provide specific feedback on individual applications before or after submission.