Postgraduate Future of Work Hybrid Inclusivity in Video Meetings & Media Spaces Internship 2022

The Microsoft Cambridge Socially Intelligent Meetings workstream is seeking an intern to explore Hybrid Inclusivity in Video Meetings and Media Spaces.

Enabling inclusivity in hybrid encounters between remote participants and groups in local spaces has been a perennial ‘wicked’ problem in video-mediated communication research. Hybrid work in all forms of organizations appear to be in the increase as a result of the effects of COVID-19. As such, solving this problem is likely to be one of the keys to productivity in the new future of work.

This internship will involve exploring one of a number of potential issues related to hybrid inclusivity in video meetings and media spaces. 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 internship will have scope for impact on future Microsoft Teams product plans.

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)

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. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

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