PhD Intern, Software Engineer - Interaction Design (2027)
Figma · San Francisco, CA • New York, NY
About this role
**Figma — PhD Intern, Software Engineer (Interaction Design) — Summer 2027** Figma is growing a team of passionate creatives and builders on a mission to make design accessible to all. The Interaction Design team helps designers express how interactive experiences behave—from a single interaction to multi-state flows and complex animated transitions. This team explores new ways to visualize and manage state, animations, interactions, and prototypes through click-through and code-backed experiences. As a **PhD Intern**, you’ll combine **HCI research** with **hands-on engineering** to help define the next generation of interactive experience design tooling. You’ll work closely with a mentor and teammates in a supportive environment, applying your research background to drive real-world impact. **Internship details** - **Duration:** 12 or 16 weeks (Summer 2027) - **Location:** San Francisco or New York hub ## What you’ll do at Figma - Be fully embedded on a Figma team working on problems that intersect with your research area - Drive projects that apply research insights to meaningful product challenges - Collaborate with engineers, PMs, designers, and researchers to scope and execute your work - Develop, validate, and document solutions from prototypes to production-ready systems - Share your expertise through presentations, design reviews, and cross-functional collaboration - Deliver a project with real impact by the end of your internship ## We’d love to hear from you if you have - Current enrollment as a **4th or 5th year senior PhD student** pursuing a PhD in **Computer Science, HCI, AI, ML,** or a related field - Demonstrated ability to translate complex research concepts into practical, scalable solutions - A track record of rigorous problem-solving through academic or applied research - Proficiency in at least one general-purpose coding language ## Added plus (not required) - A creative portfolio (time-based media, animation, game development, digital illustration, or similar) - Strong communication and collaboration skills across functions - Experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude) to write, debug, and optimize code - Applied engineering experience via industry experience, prior internships, or similar - First-author publications in top academic conferences related to the team’s focus areas ## Pay transparency This internship is based in either Figma’s **San Francisco** or **New York** hub offices. Hourly base pay is **$74–$74 USD**. Figma also offers interns a **housing stipend** and **travel reimbursement**. Compensation and benefits are subject to change. ## Notes Figma is an **equal opportunity workplace** and provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. During video interviews, candidates are required to keep cameras on, and (if hired) you’ll be required to attend in-person onboarding.
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