Research
Discover how AI, exponential technologies, and decentralization are reshaping work, organizations, industries, and culture. Participate in Post-Industrial Institute research programs, contribute valuable insights, and build relationships with leading thinkers and industry executives.
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The Research Internship Program is managed by our Founder, Frode Odegard. Its purpose is to help develop a new generation of management thinkers and practitioners by combining research, professional development, and practical experience.
Our interns do not work on “pretend projects.” Each intern contributes to an active research program. Our research programs explore the impact of emerging technologies and the revolution of artificial intelligence on organizations, innovation, leadership, and the nature of work.
Each research program is led by a Principal Investigator who provides subject-matter guidance. Interns also meet regularly with the Program Manager and may collaborate with visiting researchers and other program participants.
At the beginning of the internship, each participant will establish specific learning objectives. Regular meetings and feedback will help ensure that the internship remains educational, engaging, and relevant to those objectives.
Depending on the research program, interns may learn how to:
Conduct academic and applied management research
Develop research questions and frameworks
Collaborate with researchers and practitioners
Communicate findings through papers and presentations
Apply emerging technologies and AI tools to research
Interns will also gain exposure to the ideas, experiences, and perspectives of established researchers, executives, founders connected to the Institute.
Internships may be completed part-time or full-time. Start and end dates are flexible, although an internship normally lasts one academic quarter or trimester.
Internships can be fully remote for those who are not local. Participants located in Silicon Valley will be able to attend Institute events when appropriate.
Applicants are selected carefully based on their interests, capabilities, learning goals, and alignment with available research programs. Each intern is matched with a research program and a Principal Investigator.
Throughout the program, interns participate in regular check-ins, receive feedback, and document their progress. At the end of the internship, participants reflect on their experience and provide feedback so the program can continue to improve.
We expect interns to demonstrate curiosity, initiative, integrity, and respect for work colleagues. Every internship will result in a research paper, a presentation of findings, or both. Depending on the research program, the work may include:
A research paper suitable for publication
A presentation of findings
A literature review
A research framework or taxonomy
An interview or case-study collection
A dataset or research resource
A contribution to an Institute report, article, e-book, or event
Our goal is to create a mutually beneficial program: interns gain valuable knowledge, skills, relationships, and work samples, while contributing new research, ideas, and content to the Post-Industrial Institute.
Research opportunities change as Institute research programs develop. Current research programs include:
The main focus is the journey toward autonomous organizations. Subareas include marketplaces for reusable organizational components (“orglets”), autonomous orchestration, strategy, and governance; shared context and information security; inter-organizational design and evolution; higher-order organizations that generate other organizations; and the relationship between people and organizations. Current projects include PIOML, AGOT, Kepos, and AKAS.
A decade after the Institute’s first conference talk on the impact of AI agents on orchestration, product selection, and brands, that vision is becoming reality. This program will chart emerging industry standards and platforms and assess their strategic impact. Industry discussions currently divide the field into AI agents and online commerce, answer engine optimization for product visibility, and AI in supply-chain management; we view these as interconnected parts of one emerging agent economy.
This program examines how people are affected by using AI and how AI systems can better adapt to individual personalities and cognitive preferences. Francis Sopper, CEO of Kairos Cognition, is a visiting researcher in this program.
MBA programs still largely teach industrial-era management thinking. This program asks how a young founder growing up with AI agents might design an organization and which traditional practices remain meaningful. We will trace the history of key technologies and their relationship with management practices, with the objective of teaching management thinking from first principles under today’s conditions.
This program is being restarted now that AI agents can help automate data collection. Earlier work produced two models for mapping the “shape” of industries: the Value Stack, which represents industries in layers, and the Value Graph, which represents firms and individuals as economic actors connected by relationships. With sufficient data, these models can help study how industries evolve over time, a process AI can now accelerate significantly.
This is an unpaid internship. The Post-Industrial Institute does not cover travel expenses, tuition, university fees, or other participation costs.
Participation requirements vary depending on the intern’s location.
California participants: Participation is subject to California requirements governing unpaid internships and training programs. The program is structured as an educational experience, with defined learning objectives, mentorship, and project-based learning. Participants may also arrange academic credit through their university where available.
Participants elsewhere in the United States: Eligibility for an unpaid internship depends on applicable federal and state requirements. The Institute's internship is designed as an educational experience centered on learning, mentorship, and project-based work rather than ordinary employment. Participants are responsible for determining whether their university imposes additional requirements, including requirements related to academic credit.
International participants: Individuals outside the United States may be eligible to participate remotely, subject to applicable laws and requirements in their country of residence.
International students or other non-U.S. citizens participating while physically present in the United States are responsible for confirming that their immigration status permits participation and for obtaining any required authorization through their university, program sponsor, or appropriate authority. Before accepting an intern, the Institute will confirm that the proposed arrangement is consistent with the educational purpose of the program and applicable participation requirements.
Interested in research but not a student? Individuals seeking a more flexible research arrangement may be eligible for the Visiting Researcher Program.
Ready to contribute to active research, learn alongside leading thinkers and practitioners, and produce work you can carry forward? Take the next step by submitting:
A résumé or CV
A short description of your research interests
Your learning and career objectives
Your preferred schedule and availability
Any current research programs that especially interest you
Selected applicants will be invited to discuss their goals, relevant experience, and potential research program assignments.