Design Research Intern | Summer 2026

DLR Group is an integrated design firm with a promise to elevate the human experience through design. This fuels the work we do around the world and inspires our mission to improve the lives of our clients our communities and our planet. If this sparks your interest youre in the right place.

DESIGN RESEARCH INTERN(SUMMER 2026)

DLR Grouphas an opening for aDesign Researchsummer intern.This positionwillbe hosted atone of the following locations; please refer to all openings posted and apply to the locations that are most suitable to your living situation during your internship. This is not a remote position and may includean opportunity to travel for on-site research at project site(s).

This role could be based in the following studios:

• Los Angeles
• Phoenix
• Seattle

About EPX at DLR Group
Each person who works at DLR Group has a design voice and wecantwait to help you define and amplify yours. Whetheritsthrough a design charrette a client meeting an internal project review or working through a building detailyoulllearnthe nuts and bolts(ha!) of putting together a building while being part of something larger than yourself. You will gain experience on projects large and small in various phases of construction. We also hope to give you experiences outside of the typical internship in your discipline from helping on a business development or marketing pursuit planning an event for your office or sharing your ideas on what the future of design services looks like.

Position Summary

TheDesign Research Internwill play a key role in supporting integrated design processes offering seasonal exposure to research within a professional AEIP position provides the opportunity to collaborate with team members on both firmwide research and design projectsusing mixed methodswith a focus onqualitativeand empirical other responsibilities this position will supportseveralDLR Groupresearch case studiesby conducting data collection onhuman experience outcomes such as interviews surveys focus groupsbehavioral observationsand industry reports.

Our research is intended for use across various design disciplines allowing the intern to contribute to mixed-methods research and gain hands-on experience in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in the built environment and the architectural design process. Our summer internship program is a paid full-time opportunity running fromMay 19 throughAugust 7 2026.We expect interns to participate throughouttheduration of theprogram. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow learn and contribute your design voice to our brand promise of Elevating the Human Experience.

What you will do:

• Gain hands-on exposure to core research methodologies such as surveys focus groups interviews andon-siteobservation
• Develop clear compelling deliverables including written summaries and visual presentations
• Supportmixed-methodsresearch efforts contributing to both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis including data triangulation and thematic analysis
• Participate in knowledge sharing across the firm through written visual and verbal communication
• Assistwith business development efforts by translating research findings into strategic insights that support client goals

Required Qualifications:

• Graduate-level programexperiencein a design discipline researchmethodology social science or a related field
• Experience conducting interviews focus groups and/or observational studies and synthesizing information learned
• Demonstrable experience visualizing qualitative data findings
• Experience reading synthesizing and summarizing peer-reviewed research
• Exposure to quantitative research methods
• Familiarity with Human Subjects Research practices (HSR certification preferred but notrequired)
• Comfort presenting findings and data to diverse audiences in a variety of settings
• Demonstrated strong academic performance and involvement in student or community organizations
• Must be eligible to work in the United States without need for work visa or residency sponsorship

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with online qualitative research platforms such asUserZoomMaxQDA or similar tools
• Proficiencywith Adobe Creative Suite
• Design and/or research experience related tothe built environment landscape architecture or city/regional planning

*TO BE CONSIDERED PLEASE SUBMITWORK SAMPLE(S) INCLUDING WRITING SAMPLES AND/OR GRAPHIC PRESENTATIONS OFRESEARCH DATA PREFERABLY IN PDF FORMAT*

Visa sponsorship is not offered for this position including temporary visas such as E F-1 (including OPT and CPT) TN J H-1B or those who need employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future.

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture engineering interiors planning and building optimization for new builds renovations and adaptive reuse projects.

We are 100% employee-owned: every employee is literally invested in our clients success. At the core of our firm are interdisciplinary teams engaged in every step of project lifecycles. Our teams champion true collaboration open information sharing shared risk and reward value-based decision making and proficient use of technology to deliver exceptional design. We are pursuing the goals of the 2030 Challenge the ME2040 and the SE2050 and are an initial signatory of the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Through our values commitment creativity environmental stewardship fun integrity ownership sharing teamwork we elevate the human experience through design together.

DLR Group follows a four-day in-office work model with employees having the flexibility to work somewhere other than the office on Fridays.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled employer.