Autonomous Driving Intern

ISUZU TECHNICAL CENTER OF AMERICA INC; Plymouth Charter Township (MI); On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Isuzu Technical Center of America is seeking an Autonomous Driving Intern to join the Advanced Engineering team in Plymouth, MI. The intern will support perception, planning, and control algorithm development and system integration.

Work includes simulation, SIL/HIL testing, and on-road validation in a fast-paced environment, with collaboration across internal teams and external partners.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in Robotics, CS, Math, EE, or related field.
• GPA 3.6/4.0 or higher required or strongly preferred.
• Experience in autonomous driving or robotics is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Support development of perception, planning, and control algorithms.
• Assist with end-to-end integration and validation in simulation and on-road.
• Conduct debugging and root-cause analysis for system issues.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners on deployment workflows.
• Contribute to perception, planning, and vehicle interface work streams.
• Provide hands-on experience with SIL/HIL testing and real vehicles.

Skills

C++

Python

ROS

OpenCV

PyTorch

TensorRT

CUDA

System thinking

Problem solving

Education

Master’s degree or above in Robotics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Electronic Engineering, or related fields

GPA 3.6+ on 4.0 scale

Prior industry experience in robotics or autonomous driving preferred

Tools

ROS

NVIDIA Isaac Sim

PyTorch

OpenCV

GitHub

TensorRT

CUDA

Job description

Isuzu Technical Center of America is seeking an Autonomous Driving Intern to join its operations in Plymouth, MI.The selected candidate will be placed with a preferred agency for employment.Autonomous Driving InternIsuzu Technical Center of America (ITCA) is seeking a highly motivated Autonomous Driving Intern to support the Advanced Engineering team in the development, integration, and validation of Level 4 autonomous commercial vehicles and fleet operations. In this role, the intern will contribute to perception, planning, and/or control algorithm development, system integration, and the construction of simulation and end-to-end testing environments. The intern will work closely with Isuzu internal engineering teams and external partners to design, implement, integrate, and evaluate autonomous driving system components, with a focus on system-level interactions across perception, planning, control, and vehicle interfaces. Responsibilities include supporting algorithm development and integration, assisting with closed-loop simulation and on-road issue analysis, and helping validate system performance in simulation and vehicle testing environments, providing exposure to system thinking, algorithm iteration, and deployment workflows within a collaborative and fast-paced engineering environment.PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSABILITIES1. (Perception Oriented) Research, develop, and iterate visual perception algorithms for autonomous driving, including object detection, recognition, image segmentation, and occupancy grid (Occupancy). Develop fusion perception algorithms (e.g., occluded-object fusion, parking-space fusion) and continuously improve the visualization and interpretability of perception outputs. (Planning & Control Oriented) Design, develop, and optimize planning and control algorithms, including behavior planning, trajectory planning, and vehicle control, ensuring safety, comfort, and robustness.2. Demonstrate strong system-level thinking, understanding the interactions and dependencies across perception, planning, control, localization, and vehicle interfaces.3. Perform end-to-end system integration and testing, from simulation and SIL/HIL to on-road vehicle testing, to identify, diagnose, and resolve real-world driving issues.4. Lead root-cause analysis of on-road failures, especially in complex or long-tail scenarios, and drive systematic fixes across multiple modules rather than local optimizations.5. Support deployment of autonomous driving systems on real vehicles, continuously improving performance through closed-loop validation and iterative refinement.6. Miscellaneous duties as assigned.ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPSReports to: Manager, Autonomous DrivingEDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & TRAININGMaster’s degree or above in Robotics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Electronic Engineering, or related fields, with extensive experience in autonomous driving algorithm development across perception, planning, and control.Expert-level candidates should demonstrate technical leadership and/or publications in top-tier academic conferences.Candidates must have a GPA of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scalePrior industry experience in robotics or autonomous driving is preferredKNOWLEDGEDeep understanding of machine learning, deep learning, motion planning, and control theory, with the ability to reason about system-wide trade-offs.Hands-on experience with end-to-end autonomous driving systems, including simulation-based testing, SIL/HIL validation, and on-road debugging.Familiarity with planning and control techniques such as state machines, search-based and optimization-based planning, MPC, PID, or related methods.Exposure to middleware frameworks like ROS (Robot Operating System)SKILLS & ABILITIESStrong proficiency in C++ and Python, with solid foundations in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering best practices.Experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, and performance optimization using CUDA, TensorRT, or real-time system acceleration is a plus.Strong problem-solving mindset, excellent cross-team communication skills, and the ability to independently drive end-to-end issue resolution from field data to production fixes.Proficiency in robotics-related software: ROS, ROS2, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, PyTorch, OpenCVProficiency in version control management tool: GitHubValid driver license with good recordPHYSICAL STANDARDSThe employee must be able to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer. This is primarily a sedentary position in a controlled office environment which requires only occasional reaching, stooping, and lifting of office files, reports or records, typically weighing 5 lbs. or less. Requires occasional light lifting (5-25 lbs) and on rare occasions, heavy lifting (60 lbs). Must be able on rare occasions to bend, crawl, climb, crouch, kneel and reach above shoulder level in the performance of job duties. Must be able to work in hot and cold weather extremes.