Design Researcher Jobs
Design Researcher jobs are open from new-grad to principal across tech, healthcare, fintech, and consumer products, with common specializations in generative research, usability testing, and mixed-methods strategy. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team advancing the state of the art in AI, robotics, driving, and material sciences.
This is a paid 12-week internship opportunity and is a hybrid, in-office role.
Here’s a glimpse into the Internship experience from some of our TRI interns!
The Team
This internship opportunity falls within the Human-Centered AI Division (HCAI). We are an integrated team of ML researchers, behavior scientists, and human-computer interaction experts. At the core of our work, we aim to create purposeful human futures enabled through technology.
The Internship
We are seeking a highly motivated PhD research intern to join our Future Product Innovation team and advance the frontiers of Generative AI for automotive product design. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Machine Learning or a related field, with a demonstrated interest in developing rigorous quantitative and human-centered methods to evaluate and improve generative AI systems. In this project, the intern will explore models for 3D parametric design generation and reasoning, with a particular focus on evaluating design quality, intent alignment, and decision-making under complex constraints and trade-offs.
Over the course of the project, in addition to Future Product Innovation group meetings, the intern will also participate in all Human-Centered AI division meetings and meetings with stakeholders from relevant Toyota business groups. The intern will be exposed to how interdisciplinary industrial research works and learn from our team as well as the other interns in our division. Furthermore, the intern will engage in strategy discussions about how their research connects to business impact at Toyota.
Responsibilities
- Scope the project to align to the core research efforts;
- Be the primary driver of the technical plan (e.g., model development, analysis plan) with regular feedback from mentors;
- Execute the project using TRI resources; and
- Present the project’s approach and findings in research meetings.
Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related fields.
- Experience with 3D parametric design, deep generative models, and relevant tools (e.g., build123d, Blender, pythonocc-core).
- Experience developing subjective evaluation methods for generative and predictive models.
- Track record of executing research projects including publications at top venues including but not limited to NeurIPS, EMNLP, ACL, ICML.
- Desire to work on challenging open-ended research projects.
- Demonstrated ability to work autonomously while soliciting feedback.
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience adapting models to specific tasks through post-training techniques.
- Strong engineering skills, with the ability to independently prototype research solutions.
At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team advancing the state of the art in AI, robotics, driving, and material sciences.
This is a paid 12-week internship opportunity and is a hybrid, in-office role.
Here’s a glimpse into the Internship experience from some of our TRI interns!
The Team
This internship opportunity falls within the Human-Centered AI Division (HCAI). We are an integrated team of ML researchers, behavior scientists, and human-computer interaction experts. At the core of our work, we aim to create purposeful human futures enabled through technology.
The Internship
We are seeking a highly motivated PhD research intern to join our Future Product Innovation team and advance the frontiers of Generative AI for automotive product design. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Machine Learning or a related field, with a demonstrated interest in developing rigorous quantitative and human-centered methods to evaluate and improve generative AI systems. In this project, the intern will explore models for 3D parametric design generation and reasoning, with a particular focus on evaluating design quality, intent alignment, and decision-making under complex constraints and trade-offs.
Over the course of the project, in addition to Future Product Innovation group meetings, the intern will also participate in all Human-Centered AI division meetings and meetings with stakeholders from relevant Toyota business groups. The intern will be exposed to how interdisciplinary industrial research works and learn from our team as well as the other interns in our division. Furthermore, the intern will engage in strategy discussions about how their research connects to business impact at Toyota.
Responsibilities
- Scope the project to align to the core research efforts;
- Be the primary driver of the technical plan (e.g., model development, analysis plan) with regular feedback from mentors;
- Execute the project using TRI resources; and
- Present the project’s approach and findings in research meetings.
Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, or related fields.
- Experience with 3D parametric design, deep generative models, and relevant tools (e.g., build123d, Blender, pythonocc-core).
- Experience developing subjective evaluation methods for generative and predictive models.
- Track record of executing research projects including publications at top venues including but not limited to NeurIPS, EMNLP, ACL, ICML.
- Desire to work on challenging open-ended research projects.
- Demonstrated ability to work autonomously while soliciting feedback.
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience adapting models to specific tasks through post-training techniques.
- Strong engineering skills, with the ability to independently prototype research solutions.
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Find Design Researcher JobsDesign Researcher Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Education
- Consulting & Professional Services
- Science & Research
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in design researcher jobs.
- Portfolio demonstrating end-to-end user research projects with clear business impact
- Proficiency in qualitative methods including interviews, ethnographic observation, and diary studies
- Experience with usability testing tools and remote research platforms
- Ability to synthesize research findings into actionable insights for cross-functional teams
- Familiarity with survey design, quantitative analysis, and mixed-methods research approaches
- Bachelor's or master's degree in human-computer interaction, psychology, anthropology, or a related field
Tips for Your Design Researcher Job Search
Show research impact, not just process
Hiring managers want to see how your findings changed a product decision, not just which methods you ran. Reframe each portfolio case study around the business or design outcome your research directly influenced.
Tailor your methods to each job posting
If a posting emphasizes discovery and strategy, lead your resume with generative work. If it stresses usability, front your evaluative studies. Matching the methods language in your resume to the posting's exact terminology gets you past initial screens.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists design researcher openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Prepare a research question for your interview
Many design researcher interviews include a live research exercise or a critique of a past study. Practice articulating not just what you found but why you chose a particular method over alternatives and what you would do differently now.
Distinguish yourself on cross-functional collaboration
Design researcher roles increasingly require partnering with product managers, engineers, and data analysts. Call out specific examples where you translated research findings for a non-design audience and shaped a roadmap decision.
Negotiate scope, not just compensation
When you receive an offer, ask about research team size, access to participants, and how findings are acted on. These structural factors determine how much your work will actually influence the product, which matters as much as the title or pay.
Design Researcher Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most design researchers?
The most active employers for design researchers right now are Meta, Maverick Power, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the most openings are in California, Texas, and Illinois, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand tends to be highest at companies with dedicated product and UX teams building consumer-facing software or hardware.
How many design researcher jobs are remote?
About 73% of design researcher openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting strong demand for flexible arrangements in this role. Discovery research and synthesis work are most commonly offered remotely, while roles requiring in-person lab sessions or on-site participant observation are more likely to require a physical presence.
How do you become a design researcher?
Start by building foundational skills in qualitative methods like user interviews and observational research, then add usability testing and survey design. Develop a portfolio of case studies that show your research process and its effect on product decisions. Many practitioners enter through degrees in psychology, anthropology, HCI, or design, then grow through hands-on project work, workshops, and professional communities focused on UX research practice.
How do you get hired as a design researcher with little experience?
Focus on building a portfolio before you apply. Run your own research projects on products you use, volunteer research support for nonprofits or student teams, or contribute to open-source UX projects. Recruiters screening junior candidates look for evidence that you can conduct an interview, synthesize findings, and communicate insights clearly, even if the context was not a paid role.
What does the design researcher interview process look like?
Most design researcher hiring processes include a portfolio review, a recruiter screen, and multiple rounds with the research team and cross-functional stakeholders. Expect at least one practical exercise, such as a live research critique, a take-home study design challenge, or a presentation of a past project. Some teams also conduct a research exercise where you interview the panel and debrief your findings on the spot.
Where can I find and apply to design researcher jobs?
You can find and apply to design researcher jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search the roles available, find the ones that match your experience and the type of work you want to do, and apply directly to each listing that fits.
See All 64 Design Researcher Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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