PhD ML Researcher: AI for AEC Data & Graphs

Autodesk; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 162,000; Full time

Job summary

Autodesk Research is seeking a PhD Researcher Intern in machine learning to advance AI for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. You will own a research problem, collaborate with researchers and domain experts, and help shape how Autodesk brings AI to AEC workflows.

The 12-week paid Research Internship Program (US) runs Feb 1–Apr 30, 2027, with opportunities to contribute to innovative projects, attend tech talks, and explore flexible workplace options including office,

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, ML, Data Science, Civil Engineering, Construction Informatics, or related with graduation no sooner than April 2027.
• Experience with graph ML on heterogeneous knowledge graphs, including GNNs, graph transformers, link prediction, node classification, and self-supervised learning.
• Experience with temporal data via temporal graph models or time-series forecasting.
• Experience with uncertainty-aware prediction, calibrated probabilities, and learning from imbalanced data.
• Rigorous experimental practices: baselines, ablations, leakage-safe splits, and label quality checks.
• Proficiency in Python and PyTorch (PyTorch Geometric or DGL) and graph query languages.
• Self-directed, with ability to explain results to technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Define and investigate an open research question in ML/AI for AEC data, from framing to experiments and results.
• Design and train AI/ML models, including graph-based and temporal models on large real-world data.
• Build predictive models with uncertainty estimates and evaluate against strong baselines.
• Prepare, integrate, and validate data from multiple sources, including knowledge graphs.
• Document methods and results, present findings, and potentially contribute to publications.
• Operate as an individual contributor within a research team.

Skills

Graph ML

Temporal models

Uncertainty-aware prediction

Python

PyTorch

Communication

Self-directed

Education

PhD in Computer Science / ML / Data Science / Civil Engineering / Construction Informatics

Tools

PyTorch Geometric

DGL

Neo4j/Cypher

Job description

Autodesk Research is seeking a PhD Researcher Intern in machine learning to advance AI for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. You will own a research problem, collaborate with researchers and domain experts, and help shape how Autodesk brings AI to AEC workflows.

The 12-week paid Research Internship Program (US) runs Feb 1–Apr 30, 2027, with opportunities to contribute to innovative projects, attend tech talks, and explore flexible workplace options including office,