The Empathic Computing Laboratory (ECL) is pleased to announce the next round of its Virtual Internship Program (VIP). The program offers undergraduate and postgraduate students the opportunity to contribute to ongoing research in Human–Computer Interaction (HCI), XR (VR/AR), AI, wearable sensing, and digital health, while working fully remotely from their home country.
VIP interns work on real research problems alongside ECL staff and students, contributing directly to systems, datasets, and publications that support ongoing and future studies.
Why Join the VIP Program?
As a VIP intern, you will:
- Work closely with ECL researchers on active research projects
- Gain hands-on experience with emerging technologies and research methods
- Contribute to academic outputs, including papers and technical reports
- Build skills in areas such as programming, machine learning, physiological sensing, qualitative analysis, and UX research
- Be part of an international, interdisciplinary research lab focused on empathic and human-centred computing
Interns are considered full members of the Empathic Computing Lab for the duration of the program, regardless of whether they work remotely.
Key Details:
- Start Date: March 2026
- Duration: 3-6 months (project-dependent)
- Time commitment: ~10 hours per week
- Mode: Fully Remote
- Eligibility: Current undergraduate or postgraduate students with an interest or background in one or more of the following areas:
- Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
- Virtual, Augmented, or Extended Reality (VR/AR/XR)
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning
- Computer Vision & Physiological Sensing
- Interaction Design & UX Research
- Software or Systems Development (mobile, XR, wearables)
Program Benefits:
- Access to ECL hardware, software, and research infrastructure (where applicable)
- A profile (name, photo, and bio) on the ECL website
- Authorship on at least one submitted academic publication (subject to contribution)
- Close mentorship from leading researchers in empathic computing
- Support for future postgraduate applications within ECL (if desired)
- Potential future travel support to visit ECL and present project outcomes (when feasible)
- A formal letter of recommendation upon successful completion
In many cases, the internship may be eligible for course credit or thesis requirements at the intern’s home institution. We are also open to continuing collaborations beyond the internship period.
Current project areas (March 2026 intake)
The March 2026 intake includes projects across digital health, XR, AI, wearables, and social computing, such as:
- Mobile and wearable platforms for longitudinal mental health research and digital phenotyping
- Deep learning analysis of facial expression dynamics in collaborative VR
- Co-design of XR experiences to support girls’ engagement with technology
- Wearable hardware and multimodal actuation systems for HCI and biofeedback research
- EEG hyperscanning and neural synchrony analysis in social interaction contexts
- Conversational analysis of collaborative AR systems
- Emotion annotation in speech data for affective computing research
A full description of each project, required skills, deliverables, and duration is available in the downloadable project list.
Applications
- Application deadline: 27 February 2026 (Anywhere on Earth)
- Start date: From mid-March 2026
Note that the internships are currently UNPAID due to the difficulty of creating international contracts. The program is designed as a research-focused, mentored internship with strong academic and professional development outcomes.