Intern, Research - Context and Knowledge Systems for AI

Autodesk, Inc; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Autodesk Research offers a focused 12-week internship in Intelligent Construction, exploring context and knowledge systems to enable reliable AI reasoning on evolving project data. You will build prototypes, run experiments, and collaborate with researchers and engineers across AI, software engineering, and construction disciplines.

The role emphasizes original research, rigorous evaluation, and potential publication, with opportunities to contribute to demonstrations and reports shared within

Qualifications

• PhD candidate with research focus relevant to knowledge representation, information retrieval, data management or contextual AI systems.
• Strong programming skills and experience developing experimental research software.
• Ability to formulate research questions and design empirical evaluations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct original research in context and knowledge systems for AI.
• Investigate methods for representing and retrieving information to support reliable contextual inference.
• Develop prototypes using graph-based, semantic or hybrid approaches for realistic project data.
• Design and run rigorous experiments with baselines and evaluation methods.
• Collaborate with researchers and engineers to translate ideas into experiments and demonstrations.
• Communicate research findings through reports, presentations, and potential publications.

Skills

Research experience

Programming

AI systems understanding

Experiment design

Communication

Education

PhD in Computer Science / AI / Data Science / Information Science

Job description

Job ID26WD101097Job Requisition ID #26WD101097Autodesk Research – Intelligent ConstructionSummer 2027 | 12 weeksPosition OverviewModern AI systems increasingly depend on their ability to access and use the right context atthe right time. An important research challenge is how large, evolving bodies of informationshould be represented to support reliable inference.Autodesk Research provides a distinctive setting for this work. Construction projects are rich,complex information environments whose state changes continuously over time, makingthem a compelling domain for studying context and knowledge systems for AI.As a Research Intern, you will own a focused research problem in this area. You willinvestigate new approaches to building and retrieving structured context, developexperimental prototypes, and evaluate how effectively they support downstream AIreasoning.You will work closely with Autodesk researchers and engineers and have substantial freedomto bring ideas from your own research. Strong contributions may form the basis of anacademic publication and future Autodesk research.Responsibilities• Conduct original research in context and knowledge systems for AI. Investigatemethods for representing and retrieving information to support reliable contextualinference• Develop new approaches to context construction. Explore how relevant knowledgecan be identified and assembled dynamically from large and evolving informationenvironments• Build research prototypes. Implement experimental systems using graph-based,semantic or hybrid approaches and apply them to realistic project information• Design and conduct rigorous experiments. Develop suitable research questions,baselines and evaluation methods to understand the strengths and limitations ofproposed approaches• Collaborate with Autodesk researchers and engineers. Work across AI research,software engineering and domain expertise to refine ideas and translate them intoexperimental systems• Communicate research findings. Present results within Autodesk Research andcontribute, where appropriate, to research papers, technical reports anddemonstrationsMinimum Qualifications• Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence,Data Science, Information Science or a closely related field, with at least oneacademic term remaining after the internship• Research experience in an area related to knowledge representation, informationretrieval, data management or contextual information systems for AI• Strong programming skills and experience developing experimental researchsoftware• Understanding of contemporary AI systems and how retrieval and contextualinformation support modern reasoning or agentic workflows• Experience formulating research questions and designing empirical evaluations.• Strong written and verbal communication skillsPreferred QualificationsResearch experience in one or more of the following areas would be valuable:• Knowledge graphs or graph-based information systems• Advanced information retrieval and hybrid retrieval methods• Retrieval-augmented generation, including GraphRAG or related approaches• Context engineering or memory architectures for AI systems• Semantic and structured knowledge representation• Temporal, provenance-aware or evolving data systems• Heterogeneous data integration at scale• Graph machine learning applied to representation or retrievalA strong research publication record in a relevant area is desirablePrior experience with architecture, engineering or construction is not required. We areparticularly interested in candidates with deep technical expertise who are motivated by theopportunity to test their research against a complex real-world information environment.About the TeamAutodesk Research explores technologies that may shape how the world is designed andmade. We work across fundamental and applied research, developing new ideas and testingthem against problems grounded in professional practice.The Intelligent Construction team investigates how emerging forms of AI can support a moreconnected and adaptive construction industry. An important part of that challenge isunderstanding how fragmented project information can become a coherent and evolvingsource of knowledge for intelligent systems.You will join a multidisciplinary research environment with expertise spanning AI, datasystems, software engineering and construction. You will work closely with experiencedresearchers while having substantial ownership of your own research problem.Expected Research OutcomeThis is a focused 12-week research internship. The research question will be developed withthe successful candidate to make use of their existing expertise while addressing a problemrelevant to the team's research direction.By the end of the internship, we expect the intern to have developed and evaluated an originalapproach to a clearly defined research problem. This should include a working researchprototype, rigorous experimental evidence and a clear account of the findings and limitations.The work will be shared within Autodesk Research. Where the research contribution warrantsit, we would expect to develop the work toward publication at an appropriate academicvenue.Learn MoreAbout AutodeskWelcome to Autodesk! Amazing things are created every day with our software – from the greenest buildings and cleanest cars to the smartest factories and biggest hit movies. We help innovators turn their ideas into reality, transforming not only how things are made, but what can be made.We take great pride in our culture here at Autodesk – it’s at the core of everything we do. Our culture guides the way we work and treat each other, informs how we connect with customers and partners, and defines how we show up in the world.When you’re an Autodesker, you can do meaningful work that helps build a better world designed and made for all. Ready to shape the world and your future? Join us!Salary transparencySalary is one part of Autodesk’s competitive compensation package. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience, educational level, and geographic location.BelongingWe take pride in cultivating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/company/global-belongingIn-Person Onboarding and Identity VerificationThis role may require in-person onboarding and/or in-person ID verification.