Summer 2021 Undergraduate Research Internship

Special Note about COVID-19

Due to the pandemic, unfortunately I won’t be able to offer summer internships to international students from international institutions. I’m learning that getting a Korean visa or traveling to Korea as an international student is extremely difficult currently. A combination of increased difficulty of arranging international travel, visa process, and remote payment makes it an unrealistic option at this point. I will certainly offer international internships as soon as the situation improves, so please stay tuned.

For this summer we will run an internship only with (1) students who are currently enrolled at a Korean university (international students are welcome to apply) and (2) students enrolled at an international institution with either a valid Korean visa or Korean citizenship. Please note that some or all the internship might happen remotely, depending on the COVID-19 situation during the summer.

What is this about?

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

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.

Also, in this interview video for HCI Korea, I summarize KIXLAB’s representative projects and share my thoughts on research and mentoring. English transcription is available.

What will I be working on?

You’ll be working on one of the ongoing 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 seven projects. For a short summary, we’re looking for interns for the following projects:

• [Project #1] Designing an In-vehicle Creative Media Experience
• [Project #2] Automatically Generating Object-Oriented Representations of Videos
• [Project #3] Designing an Interactive Language Learning System to Improve Speaking Skills
• [Project #4] Automatically Creating a UI for Easily Working with Machine Learning Models
• [Project #5] Designing Interactive Solutions to Improve the Remote Learning Experience
• [Project #6] Building a Robotic Surgery Video Learning Platform for Residents and Doctors
• [Project #7] Analyzing Collaboration Dynamics to Improve Group Productivity

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?

Please see the special note at the top.

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 few years, the acceptance rate has been 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: June - August 2021 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 beyond the summer. Extension is not a requirement, however. At the end of the summer, 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 the N1 building with standing desks and Herman Miller chairs!
• 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 your internship to CS490 (Research in Computer Science) or CS495 (Individual Study). URP is another great option.

How can I apply?

Application deadline: 11:59 pm KST on Apr 27, 2021 (Tuesday)

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)
• A list of courses you’re taking this semester (if they do not appear on the transcript)