Design Research Intern

Job Description

Design Research Intern | HKS

The Tone:
This is an internship at HKS, a global design firm, where you will be an integral part of a multi-disciplinary R&D team. HKS is dedicated to shaping resilient and impactful built environments worldwide, and this role is crucial for gaining deep insights into the firm’s operational environment and design processes. The Design Research Intern will be deeply integrated into the research and development process, focusing on collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing crucial data from HKS offices. This position offers a unique opportunity to directly contribute to understanding building performance and impact, including the exciting challenge of potentially building dashboard prototypes to effectively visualize these data insights and inform strategic decisions.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Location: In-person, HKS offices

• Team: Multi-disciplinary R&D team, working under close supervision with specific and detailed instructions.
• Mission: Collect, analyze, and synthesize crucial data from HKS offices using various methodologies to gather insights into the operational environment and design processes, and potentially build dashboard prototypes to effectively report and visualize these data insights, contributing directly to understanding building performance and impact.
• Tech Stack: Statistical analysis tools, MS Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite

What You’ll Actually Do
• Project Support: Provide comprehensive support to interdisciplinary project teams across various research tasks, ensuring smooth execution and fostering strong collaboration within the multi-disciplinary R&D environment of HKS.
• Data Collection & Management: Actively assist in the systematic collection and meticulous compilation of data for multiple ongoing research studies, employing various methodologies such as surveys, focus groups, and observations. This includes performing data cleaning, preparation, and organization, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and readiness for analysis.
• Data Analysis & Synthesis: Contribute significantly to both quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis efforts, applying appropriate methodologies and tools to synthesize crucial data and derive meaningful insights from collected information.
• Research & Documentation: Conduct focused literature reviews on research topics related to building performance and impact measures as needs arise, to inform and contextualize studies, and document all data preparation processes and analysis methods thoroughly, maintaining clear and reproducible records.
• Communication & Presentation: Assist with the preparation of compelling presentations and other visual communication tasks to effectively convey research findings. Actively participate in officewide initiatives and/or intern-specific projects, culminating in presentations to a peer group, showcasing learned skills and project contributions.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Must be currently earning a graduate degree at an accredited school, providing a strong academic foundation in relevant research methodologies and analytical thinking. Typically possesses 1-2 years of relevant research experience.
• Experience: Typically possesses 1-2 years of relevant research experience, specifically in collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data, preferably within an operational or design process context.
• Skills: Proficiency in statistical analysis is required. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, to convey complex information clearly. Proven ability to work collaboratively and effectively within a team environment. Strong capability to effectively meet deadlines and manage time efficiently across multiple projects.
• Bonus: Proficiency in MS Office Suite is preferred for general productivity, and proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite is preferred for visual communication tasks and presentation preparation.