PhD 2026 Graduate Software Engineer II (AV Labs), United States

Uber Technologies Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 171,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus program

Equity award

401(k) plan

Job summary

Uber Technologies Inc. in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking a PhD-level candidate to develop advanced autonomy algorithms and onboard data systems for high-quality driving data.

You will work on real-world edge cases, build scalable software, and collaborate across platforms to deploy the latest ML techniques in production. The role emphasizes strong programming skills, systems thinking, and the ability to translate complex concepts for stakeholders.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS, Statistics, Mathematics, or related quantitative field.
• Proven experience writing clean, maintainable production code.
• Deep technical expertise in distributed systems, algorithmic design, optimization, or large-scale data processing.
• Experience crafting scalable, reliable software solutions for complex architectural or algorithmic challenges.
• Strong ability to thrive in a high-ambiguity environment and communicate with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement autonomous system algorithms for high-quality data.
• Architect onboard systems and manage upstream sensor dependencies and evaluation metrics.
• Define requirements for large evaluation datasets and objective metrics.
• Collaborate with platform, product, and security teams to deploy ML techniques to production.

Skills

Code quality

Distributed systems

Algorithms

Optimization

Big data processing

Communication

Systems thinking

Education

PhD in CS/Stats/Math or related field

Job description

About the Role

Uber is launching AV Labs to accelerate the autonomous technology ecosystem. We're building out a high-velocity team of multi-disciplinary experts to turn real-world operations into high-quality data for our autonomous partners. This team is focused on the hardest problem in AV today: unlocking real-world, long-tail driving data. Autonomy is now a data race and Uber has an edge: We collect rare, real-world driving data at a scale and capital efficiency no one else can match.

You will be at the forefront of Physical AI, building advanced autonomy algorithms to add rich semantics to our massive driving data. You will be responsible for the development and implementation of the latest autonomy techniques that enables better data mining, deep scene understanding, and causal modeling of ego vehicle behavior.The ideal candidate will be able to identify complex edge cases, provide robust algorithmic solutions, and set a high technical excellence bar.

What the Candidate Will Do

• Algorithm Development: Develop algorithms that extract high-fidelity semantic meaning from complex urban edge cases to enrich our L4 data lake.
• System Design: Architect onboard systems, including management of upstream sensor dependencies and evaluation metrics for the stack.
• Dataset Optimization: Define the requirements for high-quality large evaluation datasets and objective metrics to evaluate the performance of the system..
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with platform, product, and security engineering teams to enable the successful deployment of the latest machine learning techniques into production.

Basic Qualifications

• Completing or recently completed a PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience writing clean, maintainable, and high-quality code in a production or collaborative research environment.
• Deep technical expertise in one or more areas of computer science, such as distributed systems, algorithmic design, optimization, or large-scale data processing.
• Documented history of solving complex, unstructured problems through independent research or technical projects.
• Experience designing and crafting scalable, reliable, and reusable software solutions that address complex architectural or algorithmic challenges.
• Proven ability to thrive in a high-ambiguity environment, demonstrating adaptability and a bias for action.
• Strong systems-thinking mindset, with the ability to balance long-term technical health with short-term business needs.
• Excellent communication skills, with a track record of translating complex technical concepts for diverse stakeholders.

For Sunnyvale, CA-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD $171,000 per year - USD $190,000 per year.

You will be eligible to participate in Uber's bonus program, and may be offered an equity award & other types of comp. All full-time employees are eligible to participate in a 401(k) plan. You will also be eligible for various benefits.

Ready to Ride?

This isn't the kind of place where you follow a playbook — it's where you help write one. If you're driven by impact, energized by challenge, and ready to shape how the world moves — we'd love to hear from you.

You may be eligible for bonuses, equity, and other compensation, as well as a range of benefits. Explore our benefits.

Offices remain key to collaboration and Uber's culture. Unless approved for full remote work, employees must spend at least 50% of their time in-office. Some roles, like those at greenlight hubs, require full‑time in-office presence. Ask your Recruiter for details about this role's requirements.

Uber is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing this form.