Currently recruiting PhD students · September 2026
Join us as a PhD student in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Lab at Santa Clara University under the direction of Prof. Kai Lukoff, in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Our location in the Silicon Valley offers unique opportunities to engage with — and also critically examine — the work of leading tech companies. The application form and deadlines are here.
Potential research areas
Our lab has active projects in several research areas. If you join our lab as a PhD student, you can grow one of these existing research areas or propose your own.
- Digital Wellbeing — Designing digital interfaces that support attention and intentional technology use, and developing tools such as SMAR to understand apps at scale.
- Augmented reality (AR) storytelling — Co-designing place-based AR with community partners, including the publicly launched Thámien Ohlone AR Tour.
- Human–AI interaction and user agency — Studying how people retain judgment and authorship while working with AI, and how generative systems represent people. Explore current projects.
Requirements
- Interest in human-computer interaction
- Motivation to research, design, and develop technologies with a social impact
- Experience with web technologies (e.g., HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
- Computer science B.S. degree required, M.S. degree preferred (this PhD position is within the Department of Computer Science and Engineering)
- See also program information and admissions information
Recommended preparation
A Ph.D. is a major life decision. Before you apply, I recommend you do some background reading. I also recommend you perform this exercise: 3 Papers I Wish I’d Written. When I was considering a PhD, it helped me clarify my own goals. It might also help you.
Interested?
Please email Kai Lukoff with your CV and a few sentences on why your skills and interests are a good fit for our HCI research lab. If you have completed the 3 Papers I Wish I’d Written exercise, please share that too. We can then schedule a time to speak.