Human Interactive Driving Intern – Human Aware Interaction and Learning

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is focused on improving the quality of human life through innovative technologies. The Human Interactive Driving Intern will engage in research to enhance interactions between human drivers and intelligent vehicles, aiming for publication in top-tier conferences. Responsibilities Perform research and publish in a relevant venue on relevant topics. Publication target venues include CVPR, ICRA, NeurIPS, and HRI, depending on the exact project outcome. Emphasis on how novel representations allow us to capture human characteristics and interact with humans towards long-term shared autonomy, in a data-efficient, robust, and explainable way. The exact topic is to be finalized with the mentor Exploration of both computational and cognitive phenomena, working with a team of researchers to create new approaches for understanding, predicting, and interacting with humans Work from approach inception and ideation to validation of the developed approaches Skills Ph.D. Student in related fields - ML/AI, robotics, human-centric AI, or computer vision Publication background in relevant venues in the field. Specific areas: Imitation/reinforcement learning (RL), control and decision theory, human behavior modeling and understanding, shared control, and computational tutoring Frameworks: Pytorch/TensorFlow, and similar DL frameworks and tools Coding: Python, experience working in a team on joint scientific projects An ideal candidate can refine a topic and complete a scientific research plan in collaboration with the mentor and other researchers Benefits Medical, dental, and vision insurance Paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time) Company Overview Toyota Research Institute is an R&D enterprise with an initial focus on artificial intelligence and robotics. It was founded in 2016, and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA, with a workforce of 201-500 employees. Its website is Company H1B Sponsorship Toyota Research Institute has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 10 in 2025, 7 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.