FUSE Labs at Microsoft Research is looking for interns for 2013. For these positions, we are looking primarily for graduate students from Computer Science, Information Science, Design, Media Studies, and other multidisciplinary fields with a focus on social computing and social media.
FUSE Labs is a research and development lab at Microsoft Research focused on the design, study, and development of socio-technical systems. We are interested in building systems and studying them critically. Our goals are to contribute to the academic community as well as to invent the next generation of social technologies. Some of the topics that are currently of interest for FUSE Labs are communities of interest, civic media, social computing, hyperlocal media, information visualization, big data, and machine learning applied to social data. That said, we are open to a diversity of methodologies.
This summer we are planning to have a cohort of interns working collaboratively on hyperlocal, hyper-connected projects. The goal of the project is to develop new tools - physical or digital, to collect, visualize, aggregate, and enable collaboration among people locally and around the world.
The internships are 12-week paid internships in Redmond, Washington. The expected outcome of the internship is a prototype and a publishable scholarly paper for an academic journal or conference such as CHI, CSCW, ICWSM, WWW, and USIT. Interns are expected to collaborate with researchers, interns, and other members of the lab, give short presentations, and contribute to the life of the community. The goals of the internship are to help the intern advance their own career, encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, and contribute to FUSE Labs’ research efforts. There are also opportunities to engage with product groups at Microsoft.
Applicants from universities inside and outside of the United States are welcome to apply.
Application Process
- Fill out the online application form. Make sure to indicate that you prefer FUSE Labs and "social media" or "social computing." You will need to list two recommenders through this form. Make sure your recommenders respond to the request for letters.
- Send an email to fuse-rs@microsoft.com with the subject "Intern Application" that includes the following things:
- A copy of your CV
- A pointer to your website, portfolio, or other online presence (if available).
- A short description of 1-3 projects that you might imagine doing as an intern at FUSE Labs.
We will begin considering internship applications on January 10 and consider applications until all internship positions are filled.
Previous Intern Testimonials
"My internship at Microsoft Research surpassed all of my expectations in the best way possible. I spent 12 weeks surrounded by motivated and curious students and researchers who were not only interested in helping me develop an interesting research project, but also interested in helping me develop as a researcher. Everyone I engaged with, from my mentor to team members to our group manager, spent time getting to know me and made me feel like a valued member of the MSR family. At FUSE Labs, I was able to contribute to a number of projects beyond my own intern project, all of which gave me valuable experience working with different types of groups within MSR (design, development). I left my internship with a deep respect for the research and researchers at Microsoft Research, as well as a number of new friends." Behzod Sirjani, PhD student at the School of Communication at Northwestern University
"The summer I spent at Microsoft Research was one of the best grad school experiences I have undertaken: fun, challenging and rewarding. As someone with a computer science background with interests in big data and social media, this internship gave me an opportunity to explore the vast data sources that Microsoft Research maintains. More importantly, the experience with MSR helped me build connections with word-class scholars and fellow interns with different backgrounds. Overall, it was a terrific experience for me as a researcher as well as a thinker." Yuheng Hu, PhD student of Computer Science at Arizona State University
"FUSE Labs is an excellent place to experience the intersection of design, research, and social computing. I had the great opportunity to collaborate with a talented team who not only supported me in the development and refinement of my process and skills, but also willingly debated with me on the correct pronunciation of the word 'gif.' A Microsoft Research internship is the perfect balance: extremely beneficial and valuable with just a touch of nerdy!" Sarah Hallacher, student at the Interactive Telecommunications Program, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU
"I hit the door running with my internship at Microsoft Research (FUSE Labs). Love a challenging, startup-like atmosphere? Engage with the smartest developers/designers in the social space? Stretch your research/prototyping/design skills? FUSE geared you to produce credible research projects in your 3 months stay. I absolutely loved contributing to a greater body of research at MSR in the field of social computing and blending my skills in design and research. They have high expectations and offer you the mentorship and opportunities to deliver. For my project, I published and presented its findings at the prestigious CHI Conference 2012 in Austin, TX. I also presented at Microsoft Research Demo Day to academics and intern colleagues. So, if you're very much a self-learner, DIY'er, hacker, you will be much appreciated. It was refreshing to be able to fearlessly consult and get feedback on any ideas you had in the brainstorming stage. I enjoyed coming to work everyday." Cindy Wong, Microsoft UX Designer and Masters graduate of the Interactive Telecommunications Program, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU
