We are always looking for passionate students interested in our Ph.D. program in the Department of Industrial Design at KAIST (ID KAIST), and eager to work on topics such as interactive systems and digital fabrication. The Ph.D. program at KAIST is fully-funded and it typically ranges between 3-5 years, with 4 years being the typical length of the program. In the first two years, you will focus on coursework and passing a qualifying exam, while also starting your dive into research. In the last two years, you will work on publications and on preparing your dissertation.
Ideal candidates for the Ph.D. program should have some prior research experience (preferably in the field of HCI) and proven technical capabilities in designing or building interactive systems (e.g., programming, electronics, mechanical design, fabrication, user studies). We encourage students from a variety of majors to apply. Current and past lab members came from diverse fields such as design, art, business, architecture, computer science, and mechanical engineering.
Students are encouraged to apply by initially sending an email directly to professor Bianchi expressing the intention to formally apply. In your email include links to your personal website, examples of code from your repositories (e.g., a link to GitHub), titles of publications, or any other information that could help us see your potential as a researcher. Finally, hand in your applications using the KAIST admission system.
Make Lab in the department of Industrial Design at KAIST (ID KAIST) offers a fully-funded Master’s opening position every spring and fall semesters. The MS program is research-oriented, which means that on top of your coursework, you are expected to conduct research. The Master’s program lasts two years. We also offer a Masters+Ph.D. combined program. The way it works is that you would apply to the MS program first, and then during your first semester you internally apply to move to the Ph.D. track.
Strong candidates are encouraged to contact directly the lab. If you are interested in our Master’s program, please go ahead and apply here.
For the application process, please refer to the KAIST admission site.
Labs cannot directly accept students. Instead, students interested in our graduate programs should apply to KAIST and indicate in which department and lab (Professor Andrea Bianchi’s Make Lab) they would like to work. A committee composed of all the professors will judge each candidate and grant or deny admission through the reviewing process. Admitted graduate students receive a basic scholarship from KAIST and a stipend from the lab, depending on the availability of projects and student involvement (a minimum national stipend is anyway always guaranteed by law). For further questions please refer to this list of Q&As.
If you are currently registered as a KAIST student (including a visiting student) and are interested in an internship in our lab or in starting a URP (Undergraduate Research Program) under the supervision of Professor Bianchi, please contact him directly via email .
Our lab welcomes visiting researchers from other institutions in Korea or abroad with a similar research interest to ours. However, we only consider applicants recommended by colleagues or peers in the HCI field. We also only consider international applicants that can commit to staying for at least 6 months. If you are a foreigner, you also need to obtain a valid VISA through our school’s Visiting Research Program. For further information, please contact KAIST International Office.