User Research Intern | Silicon Valley AI Startup (H1-26)
Share
Job Location:
San Mateo, CA - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
7 hours ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Phygtl a Silicon Valley-based AI startup is building Vyry with the mission to cut student social isolation by up to 40% by replacing the awkward hello with shared playful IRL quests and collaborative creation on campus blending AI and AR into a new kind of consumer experience.
If youre the type of person whos genuinely curious about why people behave the way they doand youre excited about AI AR gaming/social mechanics in mobile appsyoull feel at home here.
Tasks
The role
As a User Research Intern youll coordinate run and support qualitative research that shapes product decisions. Youll learn how to plan sessions moderate high-signal conversations and turn messy qualitative input into crisp usable insights.
This role is hands-on not watching from the sidelines.
What youll do
1) Coordinate and moderate user research sessions (core)
- Plan and facilitate focus groups and/or interviews using our guides and structure
- Ask strong follow-ups (ask dont tell) stay neutral and manage group dynamics
- Keep sessions focused respectful and high-signal
2) Plan sessions with intention
- Translate research goals into a discussion guide and session flow (templates provided)
- Align questions to current product hypotheses and decisions
3) Deliver clean research outputs (required)
Leverage tech to transcript structured summary (insights quotes implications follow-ups)
4) Work like a remote-first teammate
- Track tasks and deadlines in Asana
- Share a short weekly update (what you ran what you learned whats next blockers)
Requirements
Who qualifies
Required
- 3rd/4th year student (Junior/Senior) 2nd year outliers
- Fluent English; comfortable leading live conversations
- Reliable follow-through (you hit deadlines and communicate early if blocked)
- Curious by default: you naturally ask why and youre not afraid of silence
Strong preference: Youre genuinely excited about:
- AI and AR (and where consumer tech is heading)
- Gaming social products and mobile consumer apps
- Building a mission-driven product (not another internship)
- Remote-first execution: proactive communication strong writing self-management
Tools comfort (important)
- Comfortable learning and using tools like ChatGPT Claude Asana shared docs and forms.
Nice to have
- Any facilitation background (clubs tutoring/teaching community leadership RA/peer mentor etc.)
- Any qualitative research exposure (class projects count)
Nice to have (GREAT)
- OpenClaw agentic process setup (agentic workflows/automation that speeds up research operations)
Time expectations
- 1015 hours/week on average (flexible around classes)
- Youll ramp into a steady rhythm of 12 sessions/week once trained and consistent
Benefits
What you get
Skills that actually compound
- Moderation reps coaching (how to ask better questions stay unbiased and go deeper than surface opinions)
- Synthesis practice: turning transcripts into patterns insights and recommendations
- Stronger communication: writing and presenting findings clearly
- Work alongside engineers designers and PMs
- Unlock your entrepreneurial DNA by collaborating with the founders
Portfolio-ready proof
- Youll produce real research artifacts (sanitized summaries/insight memos you can reference in a portfolio)
Career clarity
- Youll learn what its like to work on a real consumer product where research directly changes decisions
- Learn first-hand how to use LLMs LWMs and agents skills that catapult you into your professional career
Why Join Phygtl:
- Work on technology addressing important social challenges.
- Collaborate with a team experienced in academia and industry.
- Flexible remote work environment
Who Should Apply: We seek candidates who genuinely care about solving social isolation. Ideal applicants are motivated by meaningful social impact and committed to applying their technical expertise to address significant societal issues.
Apply Now:
If our mission resonates with you and you have the skills to contribute click Apply to join our team.
Key Skills
- Robotics
- Machine Learning
- Python
- AI
- C/C++
- Data Collection
- Research Experience
- Signal Processing
- Natural Language Processing
- Computer Vision
- Deep Learning
- Tensorflow
About Company
Phygtl, a Silicon Valley based AI startup building tech that fosters playful, creative, human-to-human connection across the physical- digital realms.
