PhD Research Scientist Intern

About the role

Canva is looking for a PhD Research Scientist Intern to contribute to research efforts at their San Francisco office and support the company's mission of empowering creative work. This intern position is intended for doctoral students who are actively pursuing a PhD degree in a relevant scientific discipline and who seek to apply their expertise in a practical setting. The role provides an opportunity to apply advanced research skills within a real-world product and technology environment at a large scale platform company that serves millions of users worldwide. The intern will be part of a research team focused on advancing the capabilities of Canva's platform through scientific inquiry, experimentation, and the development of new methodologies.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Conduct research experiments and analyze results to support ongoing projects at Canva and advance team objectives, research goals, and product innovation
• Collaborate with senior researchers and engineers to design and execute research studies that address key challenges and drive meaningful outcomes
• Review existing literature and prior work to inform current research directions, hypotheses, and experimental approaches that push boundaries
• Develop and maintain detailed documentation for research methodologies, findings, experimental protocols, and reproducibility standards across all projects
• Present research progress and results to team members through regular internal meetings, demos, and written reports
• Assist in the preparation of research publications, technical reports, or internal summaries that communicate key insights
• Participate in brainstorming sessions to identify new research questions and potential investigation areas with team members
• Support the evaluation of new tools, frameworks, or approaches that may benefit research workflows and productivity
• Work with cross-functional teams to understand product needs and translate them into actionable research objectives
• Contribute to the refinement of research goals and priorities in coordination with team leads and stakeholders

Requirements

• Currently enrolled in a PhD program in a relevant scientific or technical field at an accredited university or research institution with a strong academic record
• Strong foundation in research methods, experimental design, and quantitative data analysis techniques for rigorous inquiry and reproducible science
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of assigned research tasks, milestones, and project deliverables with minimal supervision
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for presenting findings clearly and collaborating with diverse peers
• Demonstrated ability to read, interpret, and understand complex technical literature and peer-reviewed research papers
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to adapt research approaches as project requirements evolve over time
• Minimum commitment of the full internship duration as specified by the employer and agreed upon with the team
• Authorization to work in the United States or appropriate visa sponsorship eligibility for international candidates

Nice to have

• Prior research experience in computer vision, machine learning, or related computational fields is highly valued by Canva
• Familiarity with programming languages commonly used in scientific computing and data analysis workflows is beneficial
• Experience working with large-scale datasets or high-performance computing environments for research purposes is a plus
• Previous internships or research assistantships in academic or industry research settings demonstrate relevant practical exposure

Skills & tools

• Proficiency in research-oriented programming languages such as Python or similar scripting languages for data manipulation
• Experience with data analysis libraries and statistical tools for processing, visualizing, and interpreting experimental results
• Familiarity with version control systems for managing research code, tracking changes, and supporting collaborative workflows
• Knowledge of scientific computing frameworks and numerical computation libraries used in modern research environments
• Understanding of machine learning concepts and neural network architectures at a foundational theoretical and practical level
• Ability to use cloud-based computing platforms for scalable research, distributed experimentation, and large-scale data processing

Practical notes

• This is an intern-level position and is not a full-time permanent role at Canva or its research division
• The position is based in San Francisco and requires physical presence at the office during the internship period
• The internship duration and start date are subject to agreement between the candidate and Canva hiring team
• Compensation details, if applicable, will be discussed during the hiring process and outlined in the offer letter

About the company

Canva is an online design and visual communication platform with a mission to empower everyone to design anything. Founded by Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams in 2013, Canva has over 190 million monthly active users and was valued at $26 billion in 2024.