PhD Researcher, Multimodal AI for Human Experience

Autodesk; City of Utica (NY); Hybrid; USD 48,000 - 162,000; Full time

Job summary

Autodesk invites a Research Intern to explore multimodal AI for understanding human experience in real and simulated built environments. You’ll work with a multidisciplinary team across AI, spatial computing, AEC, and human perception, developing methods that connect representations of the built environment with perceptual responses.

Your work may involve foundation models, AI agents, world models, and EEG signals.

Qualifications

• PhD student in CS/ML or related field with planned completion in 2028 or later.
• Experience in AI/ML, computer vision, or perceptual computing.
• Strong programming skills, preferably Python and ML frameworks.
• Experience designing computational experiments with complex data.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Research multimodal AI approaches for understanding built environments and human experience.
• Develop methods using foundation models, AI agents, and/or world models.
• Work with multimodal datasets (visual, spatial, behavioral, physiological).
• Design experiments and benchmarks to evaluate AI predictions against human responses.
• Build and evaluate research prototypes for real and simulated environments.
• Document findings through papers, presentations, and demonstrations.

Skills

Python

AI/ML research

Computer vision

Human perception

Collaboration & communication

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Forma

Job description

Position Overview

As a Research Intern at Autodesk, you’ll explore how multimodal AI can help us better understand human experience in real and simulated built environments.

Job Requisition ID #

26WD101433

Working with a multidisciplinary research team across AI, spatial computing, AEC, and human perception, you’ll develop and evaluate methods that connect representations of the built environment with perceptual, affective, and experiential responses. Your work may include multimodal foundation models, AI agents, world models, and physiological signals such as EEG.

You’ll build research prototypes, develop evaluation methods and benchmarks, and explore how this research could inform future Autodesk design workflows.

Responsibilities

• Research multimodal AI approaches for understanding built environments and human experience
• Develop methods using foundation models, AI agents, and/or world models
• Work with multimodal datasets, including visual, spatial, behavioral, and physiological data
• Design experiments and benchmarks to evaluate AI predictions against human responses
• Build and evaluate research prototypes for real and simulated environments
• Document and communicate findings through papers, presentations, and demonstrations

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Computational Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, HCI, Robotics, Computational Design, or a related field - with a completion date in 2028 or later
• Research experience in AI/ML, computer vision, human perception, or a related computational field
• Strong programming skills, ideally with Python and modern ML frameworks
• Experience designing computational experiments and working with complex datasets
• Strong collaboration and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in one or more of the following: multimodal AI or vision-language models; world models, AI agents, or spatial intelligence; 3D, simulation, or virtual environments; human perception or human-centered AI; physiological or behavioral signals such as EEG or eye tracking; human-subject research; AEC or computational design; or Autodesk tools such as Forma.

About The Research Intern Program (US)

The 2027 Research Internship Program is a 16-week paid program running from May 24th to Sept 10, 2027. You’ll contribute to meaningful projects, learn from industry leaders, and take part in tech talks and development opportunities. Internships align with Autodesk’s Flexible Workplace approach, supporting office, remote, and hybrid work based on business and team needs.

About Autodesk

Welcome 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 Transparency

Salary is one part of Autodesk’s competitive compensation package. Offers are based on the candidate’s experience, educational level, and geographic location, and can exceed this range.

For U.S.-based roles, we expect a starting annualized intern base salary to be between:

• $47,840 and $95,680 (undergraduate students)
• $72,800 and $118,500 (Masters/MBA students)
• $118,560 and $162,240 (PhD students)

Equal Employment Opportunity

At Autodesk, we're building a diverse workplace and an inclusive culture to give more people the chance to imagine, design, and make a better world. Autodesk is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected characteristic. We also consider for employment all qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

Belonging

We take pride in cultivating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive. Learn more here: https://www.autodesk.com/company/global-belonging

In-Person Onboarding and Identity Verification

This role may require in-person onboarding and/or in-person ID verification.