Paid Summer 2026 Research Assistant Position: Interactive AI-supported tools for thought

Professor Andrew Head of the Penn Human-Computer Interaction group (Penn HCI) is seeking research assistants for summer 2026. Professor’s Head’s group does work on tools for thought (see his group’s web page here). This summer, he is hiring research assistants who can push forward two projects:

  1. Interactive tools for scientific reasoning. Develop new tools for accessing, examining, manipulating, and deriving new conclusions from published scientific knowledge. Deploy the tools to real scientists and observe how they influence scientific productivity. This project involves web development and understanding the work of reading scientific papers.

  2. Observing scientists doing everyday reasoning tasks. Help our community build better tools for thought by contributing rich evidence about when and how scientists actually do reasoning in their everyday work. This will involve some combination of qualitative interviews, observations, and surveys focused on the real-world practices of domain experts.

Both of these projects provide practice in critical HCI skills, including engineering novel interactions, designing technology to fit human ability and needs, and implementing interesting AI-backed systems. They are both aimed at producing a paper for an upcoming leading conference in HCI like CHI or UIST. Successful research assistants will have the opportunity to be a lead or co-lead author on a paper representing their work. They also have the potential to significantly shape the direction of the project.

The positions are in-person preferred, in Philadelphia, PA, USA, full-time. Pay rate is $20/hour, or $800/week. Travel to and from Philadelphia will be reimbursed.

Applicants may apply by sending a message to Professor Head at head@seas.upenn.edu with the subject line “Application for summer RA in tools for thought”. Please include your CV/resume, unofficial transcripts, and a brief hand-written statement of your fit for the position(s) based on past results of your work and present interests. All applicants will be considered for both projects. Competitive applications typically either show successful prior application of the skills needed or a history of quick learning and interest in the HCI/tools for thought research direction. If you are selected to be interviewed for the positions, you will hear from me before the end of March 2026.