Human Interactive Driving Intern, Platform Research

Remote, USA
Posted Jun 14, 2026
Full-time

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is focused on improving the quality of human life through innovative technologies. They are seeking a summer research intern to work on generative AI and human-factors research in the Human Interactive Driving group, where the intern will create and validate driving simulations and contribute to research publications.

Responsibilities

  • Procedural track generation using generative AI, involving the design and implementation of new or extended generative methods to create novel driving environments
  • Dynamic content creation for our CARLA-based driving simulator, integrating AI-driven or algorithmic content into interactive simulation systems such as CARLA, Unreal, or similar platforms
  • Driver skill assessment, contributing to the development and validation of models that characterize driver behavior, measure performance, and support human-centered evaluation

Skills

  • Currently at-least second year pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Robotics, Human-Robot Interaction, or related fields
  • Experience in generative AI, whether LLMs with non-language tokens or diffusion models
  • Game development experience: Unreal, Unity, Godot, etc. and/or simulation development experience: CARLA, Sumo, Gazebo, AirSim, etc
  • Strong software engineering skills (C++/Python preferred) and analysis/debugging robotic systems
  • Experience working in a shared codebase with multiple collaborators and reviewing others' code
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • Experience in working in multi-disciplinary teams. You will be working cross-functionally with UX/UI designers, human-factors researchers, and cognitive scientists
  • Must have a high level of self-initiative to prioritize and manage workload and meet project deadlines in a dynamic environment
  • Prior experience in ROS / ROS2
  • Prior experience with human subjects or human-centric research
  • Prior experience in scientific Python, R, or similar statistical analysis tools

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time)

Company Overview

  • Toyota Research Institute is an R&D enterprise with an initial focus on artificial intelligence and robotics. It was founded in 2016, and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA, with a workforce of 201-500 employees. Its website is http://www.tri.global.

  • Company H1B Sponsorship

  • Toyota Research Institute has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 10 in 2025, 7 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.

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