Postgraduate Future of Work Configuring Meetings Internship 2022

The Microsoft Cambridge Socially Intelligent Meetings workstream is seeking an intern to explore configuring online meetings to suit different goals.

The online meeting experiences of COVID-19 indicate a need to rethink the representation of productivity in our technology. There is always a need for familiarity, but it is apparent now that in the valiant attempt to create the lowest bar to entry for the largest number of people with maximum flexibility of content, existing meeting user interfaces need to be more configurable, both for supporting diverse goals, and for tracking meeting effectiveness.

Right to work  

• Due to ongoing COVID-19 precautions, applicants must already be in the UK at the time the internship starts and remain in the UK for entire duration of the internship.  
• Should the successful applicant be based in the UK but without the right work authorisation, Microsoft will support the visa sponsoring process.  

Timing and location

• This is a 12-week internship. The starting date is negotiable from April 2022. 
• The successful candidate may choose to work in Cambridge UK for all or part of the internship, or work remotely elsewhere in the UK (only).  

Hiring manager

Sean Rintel (serintel@microsoft.com), Principal Researcher, Future of Work (Socially Intelligent Meetings)

Responsibilities

The internship will involve exploring practical principles for meeting configuration and goal characteristics. The actual project to be carried out will depend on the balance of the intern’s skills, and the output will be an internal report based on research/design and/or a working prototype, with the possibility of publication in a relevant academic outlet. This is a JEM (Joint E+D and MSR) internship, with engagement spanning both Microsoft Research and Microsoft Teams. As such, there is scope for impact on future Microsoft Teams product plans.

Qualifications

Required Degree 

• Enrolled in at least a Masters program (PhD preferred) in Computer Science/Information Technology, Psychology/Behavioural/Cognitive Science, Sociology, Communication, or Design. 

Required Skills and Experience 

• Research or design envisioning, demonstrated though publications and/or a portfolio 
• There is a strong preference for work on meeting issues and/or communication technology issues, preferably video-mediated communication, mixed reality communication, or virtual reality communication. 
• Methodological skills may be qualitative AND/OR quantitative 
• Qualitative: Conversation Analysis, Interaction Analysis, Ethnographic observation or interviews, Research through Design, etc. 
• Quantitative: Experimental and/or Survey design and analysis. 
• Synthesising research literature. 
• Research Management. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 

Desirable Skills and Experience 

• Prototyping using standard tools and methods (e.g. Unity, proton, WebRTC, Microsoft Mesh SDK). 
• Use of Atlas.Ti (or similar) for coding of qualitative thematic data (if applicable). 

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.