Materials Discovery Research Intern

Job Description

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), our mission is to enhance human life quality by developing new tools and capabilities that amplify the human experience. We have a world-class team dedicated to advancing AI, robotics, driving, and material sciences to lead this transformative shift in mobility.

The Team: Accelerated Materials Design and Discovery (AMDD)

The AMDD program at TRI has a long-term vision: to accelerate the development of truly emissions-free mobility. Achieving this vision necessitates the discovery of novel materials and devices for critical applications like batteries and fuel cells. Our approach at TRI integrates cutting-edge computational materials modeling, experimental data, artificial intelligence, and automation to significantly expedite materials research. We focus on developing tools and capabilities to enable this acceleration. We maintain close collaborations with a dozen universities, national labs, and colleagues across global Toyota. AMDD is committed to developing and translating the newest technologies into practice, both within Toyota and the broader open research community.

The Internship

This is a Summer 2026 paid 12-week internship opportunity. This project focuses on developing models and policies to aid the discovery of new materials and material representations. Key aspects of the project may include:

• Developing models and policies based on materials science-relevant action spaces to discover new materials.
• Developing models and policies to identify optimal synthesis routes.
• Developing models and policies to uncover interpretable heuristics in materials discovery.
• Developing pipelines for relevant dataset generation.

Please note that this internship will be an in-office role.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a doctoral program in computer science, materials science, engineering, applied mathematics, physics, chemistry, or a related field.
• Experience or familiarity with diffusion models and diffusion policies.
• Experience or familiarity with reinforcement learning.
• Experience with high-performance computing and high-throughput data pipelines.

When submitting your CV for this position, please include a link to your Google Scholar profile for a full list of publications.

Compensation and Benefits

The expected pay range for this California-based position at the commencement of employment is between $45 and $65 per hour. Base pay will be determined by multiple individualized factors, including business needs, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. TRI offers a generous benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, and paid time off benefits (including holiday pay and sick time). Detailed information about these benefit plans will be provided upon an offer of employment.

Candidate Privacy and Equal Opportunity

Please review the Candidate Privacy Notice to understand the categories of personal information collected from applicants to Toyota Research Institute, Inc. or its subsidiaries, including Toyota A.I. Ventures GP, L.P., and the purposes for which this information is used.

TRI is built upon a diverse and inclusive community, valuing unique backgrounds, education, and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living our core values. We believe diversity strengthens us and are proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all, without regard to an applicant’s race, color, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local laws.

Note: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.

AI in Hiring Process

We may utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment; final hiring decisions are always made by humans. If you require more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.