Research Assistants & Independent Study

We collaborate with CMU undergraduate and master’s students on projects that combine machine learning, human-centered design, and system-level engineering. Students often help design models, build interfaces, run user studies, and deploy technologies to real users. We also host REU students through the HCII Summer Research Program .

To join a project: Check our opportunities page for current openings. (Available internally to CMU community only) When you find a project that interests you, email the contact person listed in the project description and include:

• Your CV, including a list of your skills
• An overview of your work (website or PDF)
• A list of relevant classes taken or your latest unofficial transcript
• Your preferred starting date

For any general questions, reach out to Prof. Jeffrey P. Bigham.

Ph.D. Students

We take Ph.D. students from all departments within the School of Computer Science, with most of our students coming from the Human-Computer Interaction Institute and the Language Technologies Institute. Our research spans human-centered artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, responsible AI, accessibility, and systems engineering.

If you're interested in pursuing a Ph.D. with the BIG Lab, apply to the program that is most relevant to your interests and coursework, and be sure to mention Prof. Jeffrey P. Bigham in your application letter.

Our students tend to have strong technical backgrounds, excellent coding abilities, and experience with rapid system design, prototyping, development, and deployment. They're comfortable working across the stack—from implementing ML models to building user interfaces, conducting user studies, and evaluating systems using both user-centered measures and system-level performance metrics.

Internships & Visiting Researchers

We accept applications for internship positions and welcome visiting researchers. To apply, please send an email to Prof. Jeffrey P. Bigham and include:

• Your CV, including a list of your skills
• Work samples: a website or portfolio providing an overview of your work. For group projects, please clarify your contributions
• Your latest grade transcript
• Your preferred starting date and duration
• Email addresses of two recommendation letter writers