Winter 2020 Undergraduate Research Internship

What is this about?

I’m looking for a few undergraduate research interns to join KIXLAB this winter.

What does your lab do?

As an HCI research group, we build interactive systems that are powered by large-scale data from users. As a research field, HCI strives to tackle real-world problems that users face every day. In KIXLAB, we pride in building technical solutions that can directly help real world users. Our typical research process involves observing users, identifying their challenges, coming up with a novel technical solution, and evaluating the solution with rigorous research methods.

Check out our latest papers for examples.

What will I be working on?

You’ll be working on one of the on-going research projects in the lab. As an intern, you will be assigned a graduate student mentor who will work closely with you on the project.

Please make sure to read this document for the detailed descriptions of available projects and their required skills and expected benefits. This time, we offer six projects. For a short summary, we’re looking for interns for the following projects:

• [Project #1] Supporting Listening to Diverse Opinions in Online Space by Reducing Stereotyping
• [Project #2] Analyzing and Tracking Learners’ Progress in Video-based Language Tutorial Sessions
• [Project #3] Supporting Learners to Build Solution Plans in Programming Problems
• [Project #4] Conversational Interaction Support for Video Tutorials
• [Project #5] Making Personalized Recipes by Mining and Analyzing Diverse Cooking Recipes

What skills/experiences do I need?

• I’m looking for motivated students who like to (learn to) build interactive systems for real users.
• I’m looking for proactive students who enjoy exploring and figuring out directions on their own.
• I’m looking for strong finishers. Rough ideas are cheap. Realized ideas are not.
• I’m looking for students who have intro-level HCI knowledge or have taken CS374/CS472/CS473 at KAIST. This is not a requirement, but is strongly recommended.

I’m not a KAIST student. Can I apply?

Yes.

I’m not a Korean student and I’m not studying at a Korean institution. Can I apply?

Yes. KAIST has a decent Visiting Student Researcher (VSR) Program for international students, through which your internship will be supported. Also, our research environment is English-friendly. All communication in KIXLAB is in English.

I’m a graduate student. Can I apply?

Yes, but your advisor should be supportive of the idea.

How competitive is it to get an internship?

For the past year, the acceptance rate was around 10-20%.

Why should I do this?

• Because you’ll be working on something really exciting
• Because you’ll design and build something for real-world users
• Because you’ll gain a hands-on research experience
• Because you’ll have a chance to interact with fantastic HCI students and faculty at KAIST

Okay, I’m sold. What are the conditions?

• Period: January - February 2020 with flexible start and end dates. As we get students from various institutions worldwide with their own semester/quarter schedule, start and end dates can be adjusted to meet your schedule. I only accept interns who can spend 8 or more weeks.
• Preference will be given to students who are interested in extending the internship through the spring. Extension is not a requirement, however. At the end of the winter, we’ll discuss the possibility of extending the internship. The decision will depend on your progress, your research fit with the group and me, and your level of interest and commitment, among other things.
• Working hours are flexible but the internship should be your full-time commitment in the summer. I expect interns to spend 40 hours on the project per week.
• Personal office space in N1 with standing desks!
• An infinite amount of free coffee
• You’ll be paid a reasonable salary, enough to cover your housing and food. Students from non-Korean institutions will get additional financial support for their flights.
• If you’re a CS undergrad at KAIST, we can discuss connecting the internship to CS490 (Research in Computer Science) or CS495 (Individual Study). URP is another option that I like.

How can I apply?

We provide two deadlines:

• For early consideration, please apply by 11:59 pm KST on October 24, 2019 (Thursday). This is especially recommended for students from non-Korean institutions, as the required paperwork could take up to two months to process.
• For regular rounds, please apply by 11:59 pm KST on November 3, 2019 (Sunday). This is the default deadline we expect for local students. Applying early will not necessarily affect your chance of getting an offer.

Please apply by sending an email to juhokim@kaist.ac.kr until the deadline. Your application should include the following:

• Name of the project you want to work on, and a one-page statement about why it interests you and what you plan to contribute. Please pick from the list of projects presented above. You can pick more than one project if you want to, but you need to provide a statement for each.
• Your resume or CV that includes your technical skillset and any research experience.
• A copy of your transcript (unofficial or scanned version is fine).