PhD Intern: Interaction Design Engineer

Figma; San Francisco, New York (CA, NY); On-site; USD 84,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing stipend

Travel reimbursement

Job summary

Figma is seeking a PhD Intern to join the Interaction Design team for Summer 2027, combining HCI research with hands-on engineering to shape next‑gen tooling. You’ll work with a mentor, contribute to real‑world impact, and grow in a supportive environment.

This 12 or 16‑week internship will be based out of our San Francisco or New York hub, with embedded team work and opportunities to present across functions.

Qualifications

• Current enrollment as a 4th or 5th year senior PhD student pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex research concepts into practical, scalable solutions.
• A track record of rigorous problem-solving through academic or applied research.
• Proficiency in at least one general purpose coding language.

Responsibilities

• Be embedded onto a Figma team working on problems intersecting with your research area.
• Drive projects that apply research insights to meaningful product challenges.
• Collaborate with engineers, PMs, designers, and researchers to scope and execute your work.
• Develop, validate, and document solutions from prototypes to production-ready systems.
• Share your expertise through presentations, design reviews, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Deliver a project with real impact by the end of your internship.

Skills

General purpose programming language

Education

PhD candidate in Computer Science / HCI / AI / ML

Job description

Figma is seeking a PhD Intern to join the Interaction Design team for Summer 2027, combining HCI research with hands-on engineering to shape next‑gen tooling. You’ll work with a mentor, contribute to real‑world impact, and grow in a supportive environment.

This 12 or 16‑week internship will be based out of our San Francisco or New York hub, with embedded team work and opportunities to present across functions.