2025 Summer Intern, PhD, Safety Research - Human Behavior Analytics

The Human Behavior Analytics (HBA) team, part of the Waymo Safety team, conducts research and development on computational road user behavior models and other methods and tools used for evaluating the behavior and safety of the Waymo Driver. This work typically exists at the intersection between AI/ML and cognitive science and is done in close collaboration with other Waymo teams, in particular SW Research, Systems Engineering, Simulation and Data Science. The HBA team also engages extensively in research with external academic partners.

Waymo interns work alongside leaders in the industry on projects that deliver significant impact to the company. We believe learning is a two-way street: leveraging 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:

• Develop novel features for an existing human behavior agent model used for AV benchmarking
• Review relevant literature and learn existing model architecture
• Integrate new features into existing model architecture to enhance functionality
• Evaluate model performance against available human behavioral data

You have:

• Currently pursuing a PhD program in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science or a similar technical field of study
• Strong background in ML and/or generative AI
• Strong computational skills in Python or C/C++
• Knowledgeable in cognitive science / neuroscience / human behavior modeling

We prefer:

• Experience in simulated road user agent development and implementation in the context of AV evaluation
• Experience in analyzing human road user data
• Familiarity with the free energy principle and active inference

Note: This will be an 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.

At Waymo, we don't just accept differences - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

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