AI Applied Scientist - PhD , Next-Gen Agentic and Multi-Modal Home Explora
AI Applied Scientist - PhD Intern role focused on developing next-generation agentic systems for home exploration, utilizing large foundation models and multi-modal interaction, with a focus on creating a cutting-edge online shopping experience for Zillow customers.
About the team
About the role
We are seeking remote PhD interns for Summer 2026!
As an intern, you will use your expertise in Agentic systems, conversational AI, LLMs, and multi-modal inference to advance customer-facing experiences and interfaces. Your research will help build AI agents capable of handling complex, rich media oriented, multi-turn interactions while maintaining context and taking appropriate actions. Your internship will develop the next-generation real estate shopping experience that integrates Agentic and Multi-modal reasoning to transform how users find their ideal homes through pushing research problems including but not limited to:
Personalized and Guided Home Exploration : An agentic approach that proactively guides and helps users navigate millions of listings to identify the best homes, the experience should be highly engaging, fun and goal oriented
Conversational Optimization : Enhanced multi-turn conversations with effective context management and improved dialogue quality, achieved through organized data from retrieved results
Multi-modal Collaboration System : A combination of 3D computer vision (utilizing 3D reconstructions and Gaussian splats) and LLM interfaces, powered by conversational AI
Who you are
Currently enrolled in a PhD program in computer science, NLP, machine learning, or a related field, with solid publication record
Background in at least one of the following areas:
Human computer interaction (HCI)
User behavior research in the context of agentic AI
Agentic AI (tool use, planning, reasoning, decision-making)
Conversational AI and dialogue optimization
Multi-modal inference models with focus on combining 3D Computer Vision and LLMs
Multi-agent systems and orchestration
Memory systems and context engineering
Reinforcement learning and reward modeling
Familiarity with modern deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers)
Strong research mindset, with motivation to publish
Interest in applying AI to complex, multi-stakeholder domains
Here at Zillow - we value the experience and perspective of candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. We encourage you to apply if you have transferable skills or related experiences.
Get to know us
At Zillow , we’re reimagining how people move—through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help customers navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you’ll be part of a company that's reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality.
Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the country. Z
Posted June 7, 2026