Senior Human-Centered AI Researcher: Product Experience Lead

Apple, Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental

Retirement benefits

Discounted products

Free services

Tuition reimbursement

Bonuses/Commission

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Apple, Inc. in Cupertino, CA, seeks a Senior Human-Centered AI Researcher to shape next‑gen software experiences. You will lead research on interactions with emerging AI and Apple software, guiding strategy, design and product direction across organizations.

You will partner with engineering, design, marketing, data science and AI teams to translate behavioral insights into actionable recommendations and measurable success criteria. Strong leadership and communication are essential.

Qualifications

• PhD in Cognitive Science, Experimental Psychology, Neuroscience, HCI or related field with substantial training in quantitative & qualitative research.
• 5+ years of human-centered research in technology/software product development.
• Formal training in experimental design, hypothesis development, sampling, randomization & interpretation.
• Strong statistics proficiency: t-tests, ANOVA, regression, clustering, factor & mixed-effects models.
• Expertise in qualitative & quantitative methods: surveys, usability testing, EMA, diary studies.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead human-centered research strategies across multiple software and AI-powered experiences.
• Design and execute rigorous qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies (experiments, surveys, usability, interviews, EMA).
• Apply appropriate statistical techniques to evaluate user behavior and experience quality.
• Lead research throughout the product lifecycle from needs to prototype evaluation and quality assessment.
• Develop evaluation frameworks, metrics, and success criteria for usability and perceived quality.
• Partner with engineering, design, data science, marketing and AI teams to align research with priorities.
• Integrate qualitative and quantitative data to build a comprehensive view of user experience.
• Translate findings into clear presentations and recommendations for leaders and executives.
• Provide technical and methodological leadership, mentoring researchers and advancing practices.

Education

PhD in Cognitive Science, Experimental Psychology, Neuroscience, Human-Computer Interaction or a related field with substantial training in quantitative and qualitative research.

Tools

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA)

Surveys

Longitudinal studies

Job description

Apple, Inc. in Cupertino, CA, seeks a Senior Human-Centered AI Researcher to shape next‑gen software experiences. You will lead research on interactions with emerging AI and Apple software, guiding strategy, design and product direction across organizations.

You will partner with engineering, design, marketing, data science and AI teams to translate behavioral insights into actionable recommendations and measurable success criteria. Strong leadership and communication are essential.