Robotics Intern, Human-Machine Interaction Research

Responsibilities

• Integrate and prototype interactions of quadruped robots and humans to study teamwork and collaboration.
• Develop, train, and evaluate learning-based models for human behavior, robot decision-making, or adaptive human-robot interaction.
• Integrate and deploy learned models and policies on physical robots, evaluating their effectiveness, robustness, and real-time performance.
• Design and run user studies to investigate mental model creation (Theory of Mind) and multimodal cueing during human-robot interaction.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of research scientists and engineers across Toyota Research Institute.
• Communicate findings through clear verbal presentations and well-structured written reports, including potential submissions to top international venues.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Cognitive Science, Robotics, Machine Learning or a related field.
• Experience integrating hardware and software for real-time interactive robotic systems (e.g., Python, C++, ROS2).
• Familiarity with human-robot interaction (HRI), data-driven behavioral modeling, machine learning, or studying collaborative teamwork dynamics.
• Familiarity with experimental design and data collection involving human participants.
• Ability to work independently, iterate quickly, and communicate results clearly.

Pay and benefits

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $45 and $65/hour for California-based roles. Base pay offered will depend on multiple individualized factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's experience, skills, job-related knowledge, and market location. TRI offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time). Additional details regarding these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

Please reference this Candidate Privacy Notice to inform you of the categories of personal information that we collect from individuals who inquire about and/or apply to work for Toyota Research Institute, Inc. or its subsidiaries, including Toyota A.I. Ventures GP, L.P., and the purposes for which we use such personal information.

TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people with unique backgrounds, education and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living the values that are an essential part of our culture.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.