Research Intern (PhD), Autonomy

Stack AV
Pittsburgh, PA
RemoteCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

PhD candidates with expertise in AI and machine learning, and a preference for remote or Pittsburgh-based work arrangements, will find this role in autonomy systems development highly aligned with their research and technical interests.

Best fit for

  • PhD candidates in AI, computer vision, or robotics with strong research output and collaboration experience
    — “Track record of research excellence demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, or publications at top conferences”
  • Individuals seeking to work on cutting-edge autonomy challenges in the trucking industry
    — “cutting-edge research challenges and contribute to breakthroughs that directly shape the future of our technology”
  • Candidates who are located in the US and comfortable with remote-first work culture
    — “We are a remote first company- interns already based in the Pittsburgh area are welcome to work in-person”

Things to consider

  • National security compliance may require verification of U.S. person status or citizenship
    — “Pursuant to its business activities and use of technology, Stack AV complies with all applicable U.S. national security laws”
  • The internship may extend into the fall semester, requiring flexibility in availability
    — “Our 2027 Summer internship will be at least 12 weeks in duration (note: we may have flexibility to continue into the fall semester)”

How to stand out

  • Highlight prior research contributions, especially in deep learning and open source projects
    — “Prior software engineering or research experience in an internship, work experience, or widely used contributions in open source repositories”
  • Emphasize experience with multi-modal foundational models and SOTA techniques
    — “Experience in SOTA deep learning techniques, e.g. multi-modal foundational models”
  • Showcase ability to work cross-functionally and communicate effectively with industry teams
    — “Ability to develop, train, and validate AI/CV/ML models”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Individual

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

What success looks like

  • cutting-edge research contributions
  • peer-reviewed publications
  • industry collaboration
Typical background
PhD in relevant fieldresearch experience

Skills & requirements

Required

PythonC++Machine LearningComputer VisionSimulationReinforcement Learning

Preferred

Deep LearningMulti-modal Foundational ModelsOpen Source Contributions

Stack & domain

PythonC++PyTorchComputer VisionMachine LearningSimulationReinforcement LearningProblem-solvingCollaborationCommunicationAIAutonomous SystemsRobotics

About the role

Original posting from Stack AV via Greenhouse

About Stack:

Stack is developing revolutionary AI and advanced autonomous systems designed to enhance safety, reliability, and efficiency of modern operations. Stack's autonomous technology incorporates cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning, and cloud technologies, empowering us to create innovative solutions that address the needs and challenges of the dynamic trucking transportation industry. With decades of experience creating and deploying real world systems for demanding environments, the Stack team is dedicated to developing an autonomous solution ecosystem tailored to the trucking industry's unique demands.

If you are an Internal Candidate, please apply via our Internal Job Board.

Intern Program:

We are seeking the best and brightest interns that are eager to contribute to transformative AI solutions. As an early-stage start up, we expect our interns to be an integral part of the team while gaining collaboration opportunities with industry leaders to grow your career and research.

We welcome students who are enrolled in university, pursuing a doctorate degree and are currently located in the United States. Our 2027 Summer internship will be at least 12 weeks in duration (note: we may have flexibility to continue into the fall semester). We offer competitive pay and support CPT. Please note we are a remote first company- interns already based in the Pittsburgh area are welcome to work in-person.

About The Team: 

Our Autonomy team brings together experts in artificial intelligence, perception, machine learning, decision-making, and controls to drive the most visible and high-impact initiatives behind our autonomous vehicle product. As an intern, you’ll dive into cutting-edge research challenges and contribute to breakthroughs that directly shape the future of our technology.

Potential internship research areas could be...

Autolabeling

3D perception/tracking/SLAM

Long range perception

Automatic mapping

Prediction

Deep decision making

World Models

Distributed, multi-stage ML architectures

Minimum Qualifications:

Currently enrolled in a PhD program in a relevant field (3+ years into program preferred)

Strong programming skills in Python or C++

Experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch

Strong foundation in Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Simulation, Reinforcement Learning

Ability to develop, train, and validate AI/CV/ML models

Experience in SOTA deep learning techniques, e.g. multi-modal foundational models

Experience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environment

Preferred Qualifications:

Track record of research excellence demonstrated by grants, fellowships, patents, or publications at top conferences such as CVPR, ICCV, ICRA, IROS, etc.

Strong track-record of published research

Strong programming experience using python and pytorch

Prior software engineering or research experience in an internship, work experience, or widely used contributions in open source repositories (e.g. GitHub)

We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We believe that diverse teams produce the best ideas and outcomes. We are committed to building a culture of inclusion, entrepreneurship, and innovation across gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and identity.

Check out our Privacy Policy.

Please Note: Pursuant to its business activities and use of technology, Stack AV complies with all applicable U.S. national security laws, regulations, and administrative requirements, which can restrict Stack AV’s ability to employ certain persons in certain positions pursuant to a range of national security-related requirements. As such, this position may be contingent upon Stack AV verifying a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. This position may also involve working with software and technologies subject to U.S. export control regulations. Under these regulations, it may be necessary for Stack AV to obtain a U.S. government export license prior to releasing its technologies to certain persons. If Stack AV determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status will require a license, prohibit the candidate from working in this position, or otherwise be subject to national security-related restrictions, Stack AV expressly reserves the right to either consider the candidate for a different position that is not subject to such restrictions, on whatever terms and conditions Stack AV shall establish in its sole discretion, or, in the alternative, decline to move forward with the candidate’s application.

Source: Stack AV careers (Greenhouse)

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