About the role#
The Data Science team at Figma works across product, engineering, design, marketing, sales, and operations to inform decision-making. As a PhD intern, you will apply rigorous research training to open-ended questions. You will research user behaviors, develop measurement methodologies, and build analytical systems. You will own a project from start to finish, with the potential to pursue publication after the internship concludes.
What you'll do#
- Partner with cross-functional teams to turn ambiguous business or product questions into defined data science problems.
- Analyze data to uncover insights and recommend specific actions.
- Design and evaluate experiments, metrics, and machine learning models.
- Communicate assumptions, limitations, and recommendations to both technical and non-technical partners.
- Manage a focused internship project from initial framing through final execution and delivery.
What you'll need#
- Current pursuit of a PhD in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Economics, Operations Research, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.
- Demonstrated experience conducting independent research, such as a thesis or equivalent milestone.
- Fluency in research methodologies or technical areas like statistics, experimentation, machine learning, causal inference, econometrics, optimization, or AI/LLMs.
- Proficiency in Python or R and SQL for analyzing complex or large-scale datasets.
- Ability to translate technical analysis into clear product or business impact.
- A self-starting mindset with the ability to work in ambiguous environments.
- Preferred: Prior industry experience with experimental design, forecasting, or product measurement.
- Preferred: Publications relevant to applied data science.
- Preferred: Interest in AI product measurement, LLM analytics, recommendation systems, or search.
Location & details#
- This is a full-time, paid internship for Summer 2027.
- The role is based on-site in either San Francisco, California or New York, New York.
- Sponsorship is not provided for this position.
About Figma
Figma operates in the design services industry. It provides a platform for collaborative design work. The company started in 2012 and maintains its headquarters in San Francisco, California. It employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people. The organization remains privately held.
How to get in at Figma
Applying early gives you a distinct advantage at Figma because recruiters review applications before the pile grows. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you can be among the first to submit your materials. This timing often determines whether your resume gets a second look or remains in the queue. You can reach out to recruiters directly to ask about the role or a referral, which materially improves your response rates. Intern Insider surfaces the specific recruiters behind Figma roles so you can make that connection. Using these direct channels helps you stand out in a competitive process.
