Human Interactive Driving Intern – World Models
Toyota Research InstituteLos Altos, California
Internship
Posted November 14, 2025
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Application opens on company website
Job Description
This internship involves conducting original research at the intersection of machine learning and autonomous driving, focusing on developing world models, improving decision-making, and advancing perception and simulation techniques for self-driving systems.
Key Responsibilities
- Conduct original research at the intersection of machine learning and autonomous driving.
- Develop novel components of world models for driving knowledge representation.
- Improve decision-making processes through model-based reinforcement learning.
- Advance 3D perception capabilities for dynamic driving scenes.
- Enhance simulation-to-reality transfer techniques.
- Prototype and evaluate research ideas in closed-loop simulations.
- Collaborate with engineers to deploy models in simulation and on hardware.
- Contribute to research publications alongside TRI scientists.
Requirements
- Currently pursuing or have completed a Ph.D. in a relevant field such as machine learning, autonomous driving, robotics, or related disciplines.
- Experience conducting original research at the intersection of machine learning and autonomous driving.
- Ability to develop novel components of world models, improve decision-making through model-based reinforcement learning, advance 3D perception for dynamic scenes, or enhance simulation-to-reality transfer.
- Proficiency in prototyping and evaluating ideas in closed-loop simulations.
- Experience contributing to research publications in relevant fields.
- Links to relevant open-source contributions or technical project write-ups must be included with the application.
- Availability to participate in a 12-week summer internship in Summer 2026, with a hybrid in-office role at Toyota Research Institute headquarters.
- Willingness to work in a collaborative, high-impact research environment with real-world data.
- Ability to work at the headquarters location in either California or Massachusetts, with the pay range depending on the specific location (California: $45-$65/hour; Massachusetts: $40-$58/hour).
- Good collaboration skills.
Benefits & Perks
Competitive compensation (hourly pay range between 45-65 for California-based roles and 40-58 for Massachusetts-based roles)
Paid time off including holiday pay and sick time
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Ready to Apply?
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