Research Intern: Learning Based Motion Planning - Honda Research Institute USA

Research Intern: Learning Based Motion Planning

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Research Intern: Learning Based Motion Planning

Job Number: P26INT-05
Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented research intern to develop reliable software modules for autonomous driving and cooperative mobility research. The intern will work on generative models for end-to-end autonomous driving.
Mountain View, CA

 

Key Responsibilities

 
  • Train and distill a generative model for the end-to-end autonomous driving task.
  • Curate datasets for generalizable model training.
  • Build and run closed-loop evaluation pipelines on benchmarks such as NAVSIM, Bench2Drive, CARLA Leaderboard, or nuPlan; analyze failure modes and drive iterative improvement.
  • Conduct ablations and large-scale experiments; profile and optimize training/inference throughput on multi-GPU clusters.
  • Collaborate with full-time researchers and engineers; present findings internally and contribute to publications and/or patents.

 

Minimum Qualifications

 
  • Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
  • Solid foundation in deep learning and strong proficiency in Python and PyTorch.
  • Research experience in machine learning, decision-making, motion planning, and robotics.
  • Excellent programming skills in Python and/or C++, and experience with ROS.
  • Experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.

 

Bonus Qualifications​

  • Publications at top-tier venues (CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CoRL, ICRA, RSS).
  • Hands-on experience with E2E driving frameworks (e.g., UniAD, VAD, PARA-Drive, DiffusionDrive, Hydra-MDP) or closed-loop benchmarks (NAVSIM, Bench2Drive, CARLA, nuPlan).
  • Experience with generative planners (diffusion policies, flow matching), world models, or RL post-training of driving policies.
  • Familiarity with simulation infrastructure, sensor simulation, or scenario generation.
  • Track record in autonomous driving challenges/leaderboards (e.g., CARLA Leaderboard, Waymo/nuPlan challenges).
  • Strong software engineering practices (CUDA/TensorRT optimization, distributed training, CI).

 

Years of Work Experience Required   0
Desired Start Date  May 2027
Internship Duration  3 Months
Position Keywords  

​Autonomous driving, E2E, machine learning, artificial intelligence

Alternate Way to Apply

Send an e-mail to careers@honda-ri.com with the following:
- Subject line including the job number(s) you are applying for 
- Recent CV 
- A cover letter highlighting relevant background (Optional)

Please, do not contact our office to inquiry about your application status.