Internship - Vision-Language-Action (VLA) Models for Robotic Manipulation

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 67,000 - 89,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation stipend

Travel covered to MERL

Monthly Charlie Card for commuting

Health insurance after 90 days

Job summary

Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, Inc. (MERL) invites a highly motivated Ph.D. student to pursue research on Vision-Language-Action models for robotic manipulation.

The intern will collaborate with MERL researchers, develop novel algorithms, and test learning-based policies on real and simulated robots. The internship offers a flexible start date, a relocation stipend, covered travel, and a monthly commuting allowance, with health insurance eligibility after a waiting period.

Qualifications

• Current enrollment in a Ph.D. program.
• Strong background in robot learning for manipulation.
• Hands-on experience with Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models for robotics, such as pi0, OpenVLA, Octo, GR00T N1, or related state-of-the-art models.
• Proficiency with ROS, Python, and deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch.
• Experience with robotic simulation environments and sim-to-real transfer.
• Experience deploying and evaluating learning-based policies on physical robotic platforms.
• A strong publication record or demonstrated research potential.

Responsibilities

• Research on Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models for robotic manipulation.
• Develop and implement novel algorithms in collaboration with MERL researchers.
• Deploy and evaluate learning-based policies on robotic platforms.
• Conduct both simulation and real-world experiments.

Skills

Robot learning

ROS

Python

PyTorch

VLA models

Simulation environments

Publication record

Education

Current enrollment in a Ph.D. program

Tools

OpenVLA

Job description

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Internship - Vision-Language-Action (VLA) Models for Robotic Manipulation

MERL is seeking a highly motivated Ph.D. student to conduct research on Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models for robotic manipulation. Recent VLA models have demonstrated impressive capabilities in general-purpose robotic manipulation. This internship will investigate new methods for improving the reliability and effectiveness of VLA policies in real-world manipulation tasks. Potential research directions include exploring VLA-based approaches, multi-arm coordination, and adaptive behaviors for industrial manipulation tasks, with particular emphasis on reliability assessment, policy intervention, and corrective-action strategies.

The selected intern will work closely with MERL researchers to develop and implement novel algorithms, deploy and evaluate learning-based policies on robotic platforms, and conduct both simulation and real-world experiments. The internship start date and duration are flexible.

Required Specific Experience

• Current enrollment in a Ph.D. program
• Strong background in robot learning for manipulation
• Hands-on experience with Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models for robotics, such as pi0, OpenVLA, Octo, GR00T N1, or related state-of-the-art models
• Proficiency with ROS, Python, and deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch
• Experience with robotic simulation environments and sim-to-real transfer
• Experience deploying and evaluating learning-based policies on physical robotic platforms
• A strong publication record or demonstrated research potential

The pay range for this internship position will be 6-8K per month.

Mitsubishi Electric Research Labs, Inc. \"MERL\" provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, MERL complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

MERL expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of MERL’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

Working at MERL requires full authorization to work in the U.S and access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls. Employment is conditioned on continued full authorization to work in the U.S and the availability of government authorization for the release of these items, which might include without limitation, obtaining an export license or other documentation. MERL may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to MERL facilities and information systems, as MERL deems appropriate, to ensure practical compliance with applicable employment law and government access control restrictions.

In addition to base pay, interns receive a relocation stipend, covered travel to and from MERL, and a monthly Charlie Card for local commuting. Interns are invited to participate in weekly social gatherings and professional development opportunities, including research talks by both internal and external speakers. Interns who meet the 90-day waiting period are also eligible for health insurance coverage. MERL provides immigration support for qualified candidates as needed. Employment is considered “at-will,” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary or any other compensation program at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, departmental or Company performance, and market conditions.