Senior Researcher - Agent Human-Computer Interaction (Agent HCI)

Huawei Canada; Markham; On-site; CAD 127,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Huawei Canada is seeking a Senior Researcher for a 12-month contract to advance human-AI interaction in our Human-Machine Interaction Lab in Markham, Ontario.

The role entails monitoring AI frontier events, analyzing trends in agent systems and multimodal models, and translating research into platform capabilities and product roadmaps. Collaboration with researchers, designers, engineers, and product teams is essential.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent research experience in HCI, CS, AI, or related fields.
• Strong understanding of modern AI systems, LLMs, and multimodal models.
• Publications in premier conferences (CHI, NeurIPS, CVPR, etc.).
• Experience translating research into shipped products is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Monitor frontier industrial events and startups to guide long-term product planning.
• Analyze emerging trends in agent systems, edge AI, multimodal foundation models, and embodied AI.
• Prototype agent-human interfaces and validate concepts with user studies.
• Collaborate across AI research, UX design, system architecture, hardware, and product teams to influence strategy.
• Translate academic breakthroughs into platform capabilities and roadmaps.

Skills

Research

HCI/AI knowledge

Publications

Communication skills

Education

Ph.D. or equivalent in relevant field (HCI/CS/AI)

Job description

Huawei Canada has an immediate 12-month contract opening for a Senior Researcher.

About the team:

The Huawei Human-Machine Interaction Lab unites global researchers, engineers, and designers to redefine human technology relationships through user centered, hands on research. We focus on agentic AI and multimodal interaction (voice, touch, vision, gesture) across smartphones, wearables, and emerging devices—advancing agentic workflows, multi-agent orchestration, and intuitive human-AI interfaces. By tightly integrating sensing, algorithms, and systems, our prototype driven work ships directly to products, enabling seamless task delegation and human AI collaboration at scale.

About the job:

• Continuously monitor frontier industrial events and leading AI startups to generate strategic insight reports and guide long-term product planning.
• Analyze emerging trends in Agent systems, AI PCs, edge AI, multimodal foundation models, embodied AI, and next-generation computing platforms.
• Research the evolution of interaction paradigms from GUI to Agent-native computing and define novel models for autonomous, proactive, multimodal AI agents.
• Maintain close awareness of top HCI/AI research communities (CHI, NeurIPS, CVPR, etc.), identify high-impact work with commercialization potential, and build collaborations across North America.
• Prototype next-generation experiences for Agent-human interfaces and intelligent devices, including spatial, multimodal, voice-first, and multi-agent workflows.
• Validate concepts through rapid prototyping and user studies to test feasibility and user experience.
• Collaborate across AI research, UX design, system architecture, hardware, and product teams to influence long-term technology strategy and interaction architecture.
• Translate academic breakthroughs and research concepts into platform capabilities and commercial products, driving the transition from ideas to roadmaps.

total target annual compensation (based on 2,080 hours per year) ranges from $127,000 - $225,000 depending on education, experience, and demonstrated expertise.

Job requirements

About the ideal candidate:

• Ph.D. or equivalent research experience in Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science, Design, Robotics, or related disciplines.
• Strong understanding of modern AI systems, LLMs, multimodal models, and Agent architectures.
• Familiarity with edge AI, AI operating systems, and intelligent device ecosystems.
• Demonstrated research excellence in HCI, AI, interaction design, or intelligent systems.
• Publications in premier conferences such as CHI, UIST, CSCW, IUI, NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, or equivalent.
• Experience translating research into shipped products is highly desirable.
• Strong capability to synthesize signals across industry, academia, and emerging technologies.
• Ability to identify disruptive opportunities several years ahead of the market.
• Excellent communication skills for presenting technical insights to executive leadership.

Additional Information:

Huawei Canada is committed to a fair, inclusive, and accessible recruitment process. If you require accommodation during any stage of the hiring process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

All applications for this position are reviewed directly by our hiring team, we do not use artificial intelligence tools to screen or select candidates.