Human Interactive Driving Research Intern, Decision-Making for Driving at the Limits

Paid, 12-week, Summer 2026 research internship within the Extreme Performance Intelligent Control team at Toyota Research Institute. The intern will develop new optimization, embodied reasoning, control, modeling, and/or perception methodologies for high-performance driving, with experiments on high-performance vehicles on a closed racetrack. Hybrid in-office role at the headquarters in Los Altos, CA.

Responsibilities

Develop new optimization, modeling, embodied reasoning, or/and perception algorithms; Implement, deploy, and evaluate models and algorithms on high-performance cars; Present results in verbal and written communications at international conferences and internally

Requirements

Ph.D. candidate working in: robotics, (differentiable) optimization, machine learning, control, Bayesian modeling, computer vision, embodied reasoning, or related fields; Proficiency in at least one of the following: Python, C++, ROS(2), Pytorch, JAX; Experience in deploying algorithms on real-world platforms; Excellent collaboration and communication skills; Strong interest in pushing the limits of vehicle autonomy and embodied AI

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance; Paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time)