Inactive

Zoox

Fully electric autonomous ride-hailing service platform

PhD Research Intern - Multi-Agent Driving Simulation

Robotics & Autonomous Systems +1Posted on Apr 19

Internship · Summer 2026San Mateo, CA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

Currently working towards a Ph.D., or advanced degree in a relevant engineering program
Good academic standing
Able to commit to a 12-week internship during one of the following summer 2026 cohorts: May 18th - August 7th OR May 26th - August 14th OR June 15th - September 4th
Ability to relocate to the Bay Area, CA or Seattle, WA for the duration of the internship
Interns at Zoox may not use any proprietary information they are working on as part of their thesis, any published work with their university, or to be distributed to anyone outside of Zoox

Responsibilities

Develop state-of-the-art agent policies for driving simulation environments
Contribute to publishable research in the field
Receive mentorship from experienced researchers and work with a mentor to address a major open research question currently facing the Offline Driving Intelligence team
Ensure that novel research can be applied to production as part of the simulation system that tests Zoox’s autonomous driving software

Desired Qualifications

Experience with imitation learning, including behavior cloning and closed-loop methods
Experience with online reinforcement learning
Advanced understanding of Python, PyTorch, and Jax
Experience working in large codebases as part of a team
Has authored publications in top machine learning or robotics conferences (e.g. NeurIPS, CVPR, ICRA)
Bonus Qualifications: Experience with autonomous driving
Bonus Qualifications: Experience with robotics planning
Bonus Qualifications: Experience with inverse reinforcement learning
Bonus Qualifications: Experience with multi-agent reinforcement learning

This internship opportunity is with the Offline Driving Intelligence team working on ML-Agents, within Zoox’s broader Foundation Models organization. The team focuses on creating driving policies that behave like humans (in driving simulation environments). We are developing multi-agent simulation, tackling open research problems at the frontier of large-scale reinforcement and imitation learning.

Interns on this team will have the opportunity to develop state-of-the-art agent policies, contribute to publishable research, and receive mentorship from experienced researchers in the field. Interns will work with a mentor to address a major open research question currently facing the team. There is a direct path from the novel research of this internship to being used in production as part of the simulation system that tests Zoox’s autonomous driving software.

Requirements

Currently working towards a Ph.D., or advanced degree in a relevant engineering program
Good academic standing
Able to commit to a 12-week internship during one of the following summer 2026 cohorts: May 18th - August 7th OR May 26th - August 14th OR June 15th - September 4th
Ability to relocate to the Bay Area, CA or Seattle, WA for the duration of the internship
Interns at Zoox may not use any proprietary information they are working on as part of their thesis, any published work with their university, or to be distributed to anyone outside of Zoox

Qualifications

Experience with imitation learning (both behavior cloning and closed-loop methods)

Experience with online reinforcement learning

Advanced understanding of Python, PyTorch, and Jax

Experience working in large codebases as part of a team

Has authored publications in top ML/robotics conferences (e.g. NeurIPS, CVPR, ICRA, etc)

Bonus Qualifications

Experience with autonomous driving
Experience with robotics planning
Experience with inverse reinforcement learning
Experience with multi-agent reinforcement learning

Compensation:

The monthly salary for this position is $9,500. Compensation will vary based on geographic location. Additional benefits may include medical insurance, and a housing stipend (relocation assistance will be offered based on eligibility).

About Zoox

Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.

Accommodations

If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to [email protected] or your assigned recruiter.

A Final Note:

You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.

About the Company

Zoox

Fully electric autonomous ride-hailing service platform

Zoox designs and operates an autonomous ride-hailing service built around a purpose-built, fully electric vehicle designed specifically for autonomous operation. The vehicle uses advanced sensors, cameras, and AI to navigate complex urban environments, offering a four-passenger interior for comfort. Unlike competitors that retrofit existing cars, Zoox engineers both the vehicle and the service from the ground up, enabling optimized safety, efficiency, and passenger experience through integrated software that optimizes routing and reduces wait times. The company emphasizes safety through extensive testing and regulatory collaboration, and sustainability via electric mobility. The ultimate goal is to provide a smarter, safer, and more efficient urban transportation system that improves city life while reducing emissions.

Company size: 5,001-10,000
Company stage: Acquired
Total funding: $1.2B
Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA
Founded: 2014

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