Graduate Research Internship in Robot Learning

Job Description

### About the Company

Field AI is a company dedicated to transforming how robots interact with the real world. They specialize in building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems to tackle the most complex challenges in robotics, aiming to unlock the full potential of embodied intelligence.

Distinguishing themselves from typical data-driven or pure transformer-based approaches, Field AI is charting a new course. They already have globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and are rapidly improving their models through real-field applications.

Their innovative approach includes Field Foundational Models™, which set a new standard in perception, planning, localization, and manipulation. A key emphasis is placed on ensuring these solutions are explainable and safe for deployment.

Field AI boasts a world-class team with a decade-long track record of deploying solutions in the field, including winning DARPA challenge segments. Their team brings expertise from leading organizations such as DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise Self-Driving, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX.

The company thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. They are seeking innovators who go beyond conventional methods, challenge the status quo, and bring interdisciplinary expertise to tackle tough, uncharted questions in robotics.

Field AI is headquartered in Irvine, Southern California, with a team that includes both US-based and global members. They are committed to diversity and inclusion, evaluating candidates based on merit, qualifications, and performance without discrimination.

### About the Job: Graduate Research Internship in Robot Learning

This is a Graduate Research Internship in Robot Learning, specifically designed for MS and PhD students passionate about advancing the state of embodied intelligence.

As a graduate intern, you will work closely with Field AI’s researchers and engineers to investigate cutting-edge methods. This internship offers a unique opportunity to develop research ideas, design experiments, and directly test your work on real robots, effectively bridging cutting-edge AI research with practical field deployment. Interns will also have the chance to contribute to publications, open-source software, and collaborative projects that benefit the broader robotics research community.

What You’ll Get To Do:

• Conduct Research in Robot Skill Learning:
• Investigate algorithms for learning transferable skills across diverse robot embodiments.
• Explore reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and multimodal foundation model approaches.
• Advance Foundation Models for Robotics:
• Adapt VLMs (Vision-Language Models) and LLMs (Large Language Models) for robotics applications in perception, reasoning, and control.
• Work on methods for grounding language and vision models in real-world robot tasks.
• Large-Scale Training and Experimentation:
• Design and run large-scale training pipelines using PyTorch and distributed systems.
• Experiment with concepts such as sim-to-real transfer, domain adaptation, and scaling laws for robot learning.
• Deploy and Validate on Real Robots:
• Test and validate research ideas on real robotic platforms, including manipulators, mobile robots, and more.
• Tackle practical field robotics challenges such as traversability, locomotion, and dexterous manipulation.
• Collaborate and Publish:
• Partner with Field AI’s research team to drive projects with real-world impact.
• Contribute to publications in top-tier venues (e.g., CoRL, ICRA, NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR) where appropriate.

What You Have (Required Qualifications):

• Currently an MS or PhD student in Robotics, Computer Science, AI/ML, or a related field.
• Demonstrated research experience in robot learning, reinforcement learning, imitation learning, or foundation models.
• Proficiency with Python and ML frameworks, with PyTorch strongly preferred.
• A strong background in machine learning fundamentals and experimental design.
• Ability to analyze results rigorously and iterate quickly on research ideas.
• A genuine passion for robotics and embodied intelligence.

The Extras That Set You Apart (Preferred Qualifications):

• Published research in robotics, AI/ML, or related fields (especially in top-tier venues like CoRL, ICRA, IROS, NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR).
• Experience with distributed training, large-scale ML systems, or high-performance computing (HPC).
• Hands-on experience with real robot platforms and sim-to-real research.
• Familiarity with ROS/ROS2 or other robot middleware.
• Contributions to open-source projects in robotics or AI.
• Background in perception (e.g., 3D vision, mapping, traversability analysis) or dexterous manipulation.

Compensation and Benefits:

The company offers a salary range between ($70,000 – $300,000 annual). The final salary will be determined based on an individual’s background, experience, geographic location, and job-related knowledge and skills. While the company enjoys on-site collaboration, they are open to exploring hybrid or remote work options.