Autonomy Simulator Intern — Robotics & AI

Skydio; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 96,000; Part time

Job summary

Skydio is seeking a Research Intern to join its world-class computer vision and autonomous flight team. You will own a project advancing the Skydio Simulator, designing core components in C++ and Python and collaborating closely with autonomy, perception, and controls engineers.

You will debug complex interactions between physics, sensors, autonomy logic, and rendering, while contributing to documentation and internal tooling.

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering experience with C++ and Python.
• Experience building complex systems where performance, determinism, or correctness matter.
• Comfort reasoning about time-synchronized systems, state machines, or real-time execution.
• Ability to work in a large, evolving codebase with multiple stakeholders.
• Interest in robotics, simulation, or physical systems (prior robotics experience is a plus, not a requirement).

Responsibilities

• Core Simulator Architecture: Design, implement, and evolve the foundational architecture of the Skydio Simulator, ensuring it scales across vehicle types, environments, and use cases.
• Physics and Dynamics: Improve and extend physics models governing vehicle motion, interactions with the environment, and dynamic agents.
• Sensor and Hardware Simulation: Build high-fidelity simulations of cameras, IMUs, and other onboard components, including timing, noise characteristics, and hardware behavior.
• Autonomy Stack Integration: Run and validate the full Skydio autonomy stack in simulation, ensuring consistency between simulated and real-world behavior.
• Feature Development on Top of the Core: Implement simulator capabilities that unlock new workflows for customers and internal autonomy engineers, from training scenarios to advanced testing modes.
• Performance and Fidelity: Profile, optimize, and improve simulator performance while continuously pushing realism and accuracy.

Skills

C++

Python

Performance-critical systems

Time-synchronized systems

Large codebase collaboration

Robotics interest

Job description

Skydio is seeking a Research Intern to join its world-class computer vision and autonomous flight team. You will own a project advancing the Skydio Simulator, designing core components in C++ and Python and collaborating closely with autonomy, perception, and controls engineers.

You will debug complex interactions between physics, sensors, autonomy logic, and rendering, while contributing to documentation and internal tooling.