2027 Summer Intern, MS/PhD, Software Engineer, Simulation Evaluation ML Model

Waymo
Mountain View, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Best suited to candidates with advanced degrees in AI or computer science working in autonomous vehicle simulation and software infrastructure.

Best fit for

  • Graduate students with expertise in graph modeling and simulation for autonomous vehicles
    — “Design and implement an automated semantic extraction pipeline that parses large-scale simulation logs”
  • Individuals experienced in building distributed data systems and deep learning frameworks
    — “Experience with large-scale distributed data processing systems”
  • Candidates with a background in multi-agent interaction modeling and retrieval systems
    — “Build a multi-modal hybrid retrieval engine (combining dense vector embeddings, keyword search, and graph traversal)”
  • Researchers who have contributed to top-tier AI/ML or computer vision conferences
    — “Authorship of published papers in top-tier AI/ML, data mining, or computer vision conferences”

Things to consider

  • Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program with at least one term remaining
    — “Currently enrolled in a graduate program (PhD or Master’s) with at least one academic term remaining”
  • This is a hybrid onsite internship with potential for in-person work in Mountain View
    — “This will be a hybrid onsite internship position”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with graph-based data modeling and multi-agent systems in your resume
    — “Develop temporal graph modeling techniques to capture time-varying multi-agent interactions”
  • Showcase your deep learning framework proficiency with specific examples or projects
    — “Hands-on experience with modern deep learning frameworks (such as PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow)”
  • Emphasize your ability to work with structured data and build data exploration tools
    — “Create interactive data exploration tools and visualization dashboards (e.g., Jupyter/Colab-based explorers)”
  • Demonstrate your ability to document system architecture and provide strategic input
    — “Collaborate cross-functionally with simulation researchers, machine learning engineers, and software infrastructure teams to document system architecture and establish roadmap recommendations”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Design and implement an automated semantic extraction pipeline
  • Develop temporal graph modeling techniques
  • Build a multi-modal hybrid retrieval engine
  • Create interactive data exploration tools and visualization dashboards
  • Benchmark retrieval precision, recall, and query latency
Typical background
Graduate program in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Electrical Engineering

Skills & requirements

Required

PythonC++Linux DevelopmentDeep Learning FrameworksGraph AlgorithmsTemporal Graph ModelingKnowledge GraphsGraph Neural NetworksInformation Retrieval

Preferred

Simulation EvaluationMachine Learning ModelsAutonomous Driving Technology

Stack & domain

PythonC++LinuxDeep Learning Frameworks (pytorch, JAX, Tensorflow)CollaborationProblem SolvingTechnical CommunicationAutonomous DrivingSimulationMachine Learning

About the role

Original posting from Waymo

Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.

Software Engineering builds the brains of Waymo's fully autonomous driving technology. Our software allows the Waymo Driver to perceive the world around it, make the right decision for every situation, and deliver people safely to their destinations. We think deeply and solve complex technical challenges in areas like robotics, perception, decision-making and deep learning, while collaborating with hardware and systems engineers. If you’re a software engineer or researcher who’s curious and passionate about Level 4 autonomous driving, we'd like to meet you. 

Waymo interns partner with leaders in the industry on projects that create impact to the company. We believe learning is a two-way street: applying your knowledge while providing you with opportunities to expand your skill-set. Interns are an important part of our culture and our recruiting pipeline. Join us at Waymo for a fun and rewarding internship!

You will:

Design and implement an automated semantic extraction pipeline that parses large-scale simulation logs, vehicle trajectory data, and multi-agent behavioral events into structured graph representations (entities, temporal relationships, and causal interactions)

Develop temporal graph modeling techniques to capture time-varying multi-agent interactions, road context, and safety-critical driving events

Build a multi-modal hybrid retrieval engine (combining dense vector embeddings, keyword search, and graph traversal) to enable fast scenario discovery and serve as structured memory for automated failure analysis agents

Create interactive data exploration tools and visualization dashboards (e.g., Jupyter/Colab-based explorers) to help autonomy engineers and researchers analyze complex scenario distribution

Benchmark retrieval precision, recall, and query latency against traditional tabular and relational search baselines

Collaborate cross-functionally with simulation researchers, machine learning engineers, and software infrastructure teams to document system architecture and establish roadmap recommendations

You have:

Currently enrolled in a graduate program (PhD or Master’s) in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, or a related quantitative field, with at least one academic term remaining

Strong software development experience in Python and/or C++ in a Linux development environment

Solid foundation in core computer science concepts, data structures, algorithm complexity, and distributed data systems

Hands-on experience with modern deep learning frameworks (such as PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow)

We prefer:

Demonstrated research background or practical experience in Knowledge Graphs, Graph Algorithms, Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), or Information Retrieval / Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Authorship of published papers in top-tier AI/ML, data mining, or computer vision conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, KDD, The Web Conference [WWW], CVPR, CoRL, SIGMOD, VLDB, ACL)

Experience with large-scale distributed data processing systems (e.g., Apache Spark, Apache Beam, distributed SQL query engines, or columnar data lakes)

Familiarity with temporal graphs, bi-temporal data modeling, or graph databases/tooling

Demonstrated interest or domain experience in autonomous vehicle simulation, behavior prediction, motion planning, trajectory forecasting, or multi-agent interaction modeling

General Perks

Help solve challenging problems with a direct impact on the company

Competitive compensation packages with a housing/relocation bonus (if applicable)

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Fun intern events and networking opportunities

Onsite Perks

Free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks 

Free access to Google shuttles

Onsite gym

Note: This will be a hybrid onsite internship position. We will accept resumes on a rolling basis until the role is filled. To be in consideration for multiple roles, you will need to apply to each one individually - please apply to the top 3 roles you are interested in.

The expected hourly rate for this full-time position is listed below. Interns are also eligible to participate in the Company’s generous benefits programs, subject to eligibility requirements.Hourly Masters Pay$70—$70 USDThe expected hourly rate for this full-time position is listed below. Interns are also eligible to participate in the Company’s generous benefits programs, subject to eligibility requirements.Hourly PhD Pay$85—$85 USD

Source: Waymo careers

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