2027 Summer Intern, PhD, Research Scientist Intern

First Roles; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 97,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Waymo offers a hybrid onsite internship in Mountain View for PhD students focused on autonomous driving software and ML. You will research SOTA literature from frontier labs and prototype solutions to bottlenecks such as shortcut learning and input sensitivity.

This role seeks a candidate who can contribute to cutting-edge research within the Waymo Driver program. Ideal candidates are enrolled in a PhD program in CS, robotics, EE, or related quantitative field, with strong Python and ML

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related quantitative field.
• Foundational ML knowledge (pre-LLM era).
• Expert knowledge on LLM, VLM, VLA.
• Strong software development experience in Python and debugging capability.
• Prefer: RL knowledge and understanding of modern thinking mode.

Responsibilities

• Research and read SOTA literature from frontier labs.
• Prototype research solutions to current system bottlenecks (shortcut learning, sensitivity w.r.t inputs, etc.).
• Ideally own a medium-to-large scale End-to-End research project to develop the next-gen critic model at Waymo.

Skills

PhD candidate in CS/Robotics

Foundational ML knowledge

Expert knowledge on LLM/VLM/VLA

Python programming

Debugging capability

Strong software development

Education

PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering or related field

Job description

# 2027 Summer Intern, PhD, Research Scientist InternInternship Live nowMountain View, CAPosted October 30, 2026Last seen at Waymo on October 30, 2026.FirstRoles never charges new grads or interns to apply.## About this roleWaymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced DriverTM—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.Software Engineering builds the brains of Waymo's fully autonomous driving technology. Our software allows the Waymo Driver to perceive the world around it, make the right decision for every situation, and deliver people safely to their destinations. We think deeply and solve complex technical challenges in areas like robotics, perception, decision-making and deep learning, while collaborating with hardware and systems engineers. If you’re a software engineer or researcher who’s curious and passionate about Level 4 autonomous driving, we'd like to meet you.Waymo interns partner with leaders in the industry on projects that create impact to the company. We believe learning is a two-way street: applying your knowledge while providing you with opportunities to expand your skill-set. Interns are an important part of our culture and our recruiting pipeline. Join us at Waymo for a fun and rewarding internship!You will:Research and read SOTA literature from frontier labsPrototype research solutions to current system bottlenecks (shortcut learning, sensitivity w.r.t inputs, etc.)Ideally own an medium-to-large scale E2E research project to develop the next-gen critic model at WaymoYou have:Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related quantitative fieldFoundational ML knowledge (pre-LLM era)Expert knowledge on LLM, VLM, VLAStrong software development experience in Python and debugging capabilityWe prefer:Strong knowledge in RLUnderstanding of how modern “thinking” mode worksNote: This will be a hybrid onsite internship position. We will accept resumes on a rolling basis until the role is filled. To be in consideration for multiple roles, you will need to apply to each one individually - please apply to the top 3 roles you are interested in.The expected hourly rate for this full-time position is listed below. Interns are also eligible to participate in the Company’s generous benefits programs, subject to eligibility requirements.Hourly PhD Pay$85—$85 USD