PhD ML Intern: 3D Perception & Graph NN Research

Waymo LLC; Mountain View, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 97,000 - 138,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous internship benefits

Job summary

Waymo LLC in Mountain View invites a PhD candidate to join as a software engineering intern focused on advancing autonomous driving perception and learning systems. You will design and train deep learning models, analyze perception accuracy, and collaborate with researchers and engineers to translate insights into deployment-ready components.

The role emphasizes cutting-edge machine learning for 2D/3D perception, graph networks, and scalable training pipelines, with a hybrid onsite arrangement

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Machine Learning, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Strong programming proficiency in Python and solid experience with modern deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow).
• Hands-on experience designing, training, and debugging deep learning architectures for Computer Vision, 3D Perception, or Graph Neural Networks (e.g., Transformers, DETR-based detectors, GNNs, or BEV perception).
• Solid foundational knowledge of 2D/3D geometry, coordinate transformations, and spatial/relational reasoning.

Responsibilities

• Designing and Building Machine Learning Models: Writing clean, high-performance code to implement core algorithms for entity-centric lane geometry detection and relational topology decoding.
• Running Experiments and Training Pipelines: Setting up data pipelines and training neural networks across vehicle sensor modalities and map priors.
• Benchmarking and Analyzing Performance: Creating structured evaluation metrics to benchmark model accuracy and topological correctness across complex intersections.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partnering with mentors and engineering teams to evaluate downstream planning impact and package insights for deployment.

Skills

Python

DL Frameworks

3D Perception

GNNs

Computer Vision

Education

PhD candidate

PhD in CS/Robotics

Tools

PyTorch

JAX

TensorFlow

Job description

Waymo LLC in Mountain View invites a PhD candidate to join as a software engineering intern focused on advancing autonomous driving perception and learning systems. You will design and train deep learning models, analyze perception accuracy, and collaborate with researchers and engineers to translate insights into deployment-ready components.

The role emphasizes cutting-edge machine learning for 2D/3D perception, graph networks, and scalable training pipelines, with a hybrid onsite arrangement