Motion Planning Engineer (PhD, Intern)

DiDi Labs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 52,279 - 74,459; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Intern benefits

Job summary

DiDi Labs in San Jose is looking for a motivated intern who has recently completed their PhD in Robotics or a related field. In this role, you will help develop next-generation planning capabilities for autonomous vehicles.

The internship offers a clear pathway to full-time Engineer roles and includes responsibilities like optimizing algorithms for behavioral planning, modeling driving environments, and analyzing system performance. The hourly rate is $46, and various intern benefits are available.

Qualifications

• Recently completed or soon-to-complete Ph.D. in a relevant field.
• Research or internship experience in motion planning algorithms and decision-making.
• Hands-on experience in C++ and Python for real-time algorithms.

Responsibilities

• Implement solutions for behavioral planning for decision-making.
• Design and optimize motion planning algorithms for safe trajectories.
• Develop systems ensuring feasibility and comfort in diverse scenarios.
• Model complex driving environments for robust planning.
• Analyze system performance through simulation and real-world data.

Skills

C++

Python

Motion planning algorithms

Behavioral planning

Trajectory optimization

Multi-agent interaction modeling

Education

Ph.D. in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or related field

Job description

About The Company

DiDi's autonomous driving unit was established in 2016 with the mission of developing Level 4 autonomous driving (AD) technology to make transportation safer and more efficient. In August 2019, the unit became an independent company, DiDi Autonomous Driving, dedicated to advanced AD R&D, product application, and business expansion. We believe integrating AD technology into a shared-mobility fleet will generate immense social value. By leveraging DiDi's specialized technology, operational expertise, and integrated ecosystem, we are positioned to build and operate a highly efficient, user-oriented autonomous fleet.

About The Role

We are seeking a motivated PhD graduate with a strong research background in motion planning, robotics, or autonomous systems. In this role, you will apply your expertise in algorithm design and system integration to help develop next-generation planning capabilities for autonomous vehicles.

Responsibilities

• Implement novel solutions for Behavioral Planning, enabling high-level decision-making for lane changes, merges, yields, and multi-agent interactions.


• Design and optimize motion planning algorithms that integrate geometry-based path reasoning and context-aware speed reasoning into smooth, safe trajectories.


• Develop and improve core geometry and velocity planning systems to ensure feasibility, compliance, and comfort across diverse driving scenarios.


• Model complex driving environments and agent behaviors to create a robust world representation for planning under uncertainty.


• Formulate cost functions and optimization frameworks that balance safety, comfort, and efficiency in trajectory selection.


• Analyze, test, and debug system performance through simulation and real-world data, conducting root-cause investigations and proposing enhancements.


• Collaborate with researchers and engineers across Perception, Prediction, and Control to ensure an integrated, reliable autonomy stack.

Qualifications

• Recently completed or soon-to-complete PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.


• Research or Internship experience in one or more of the following:


• Motion planning algorithms (optimization, sampling, graph/search-based methods)


• Behavioral planning and decision-making under uncertainty


• Trajectory optimization and control


• Multi-agent interaction modeling


• Proven research ability demonstrated by publications in top-tier conferences (e.g., RSS, ICRA, IROS, CVPR, NeurIPS, CoRL).


• Hands-on experience in C++ and Python for implementing complex, real-time algorithms.


• Excellent analytical and communication skills, with a collaborative mindset.


• For Internship Applicants: This role offers a clear pathway, with top-performing interns receiving the opportunity to convert to a full-time engineer upon successful completion of the program.

The hourly rate for the Intern position in the selected city is $46. Interns will also be eligible for Intern benefits.