2027 Summer Intern, MS/PhD, Software Engineer, Sys Intel & Machine Learning

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and benchmark parameter-efficient fine-tuning (LoRA / QLoRA) modules in JAX/Flax for multi-task Vision Transformer backbones
• Develop dual-level distillation pipelines (intermediate feature matching and task-head logit distillation) to mitigate multi-task regressions during large-scale data scaling
• Collaborate with model optimization, quantization, and latency teams to validate static weight folding and low-precision quantization, ensuring zero latency overhead on onboard compute platforms
• Conduct extensive empirical ablations and evaluate perception metrics on large-scale autonomous driving datasets across diverse geographic domains

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a PhD or Master's in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Machine Learning, Robotics, or a related technical field
• Strong software engineering and deep learning development skills in Python and modern frameworks (JAX, Flax, PyTorch, or TensorFlow)
• Solid theoretical understanding and hands-on experience with deep learning foundation models, Transformer architectures, and multi-task learning
• Experience with model compression, parameter-efficient fine-tuning (e.g., LoRA, QLoRA, adapters), or quantization and knowledge distillation techniques

The subteam for this role will be

The Model Optimization & ML Runtime team (within Smart Perception / Machine Learning) is responsible for maximizing the capability, efficiency, and hardware performance of Waymo's cutting-edge perception and foundation models. We bridge the gap between large-scale multi-task ML research (Vision Transformer backbones, 30+ perception heads, multi-sensor fusion) and real-time onboard vehicle deployment across custom automotive accelerators, developing core optimization frameworks (parameter-efficient fine-tuning, quantization, compilation, and quantization-aware training) that power the autonomous Waymo Driver.

Waymo interns partner with leaders in the industry on projects that create impact to the company. We believe learning is a two-way street: applying 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!

We prefer

• Publication record at top-tier computer vision or machine learning conferences (e.g., CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, NeurIPS, ICLR)
• Hands-on experience with model quantization (PTQ, QAT, INT8/INT4/MX4), low-precision numerics, or hardware-aware model optimization
• Experience training and scaling large vision backbones or multi-modal models on distributed accelerator clusters (TPUs / GPUs)
• Familiarity with autonomous driving perception tasks (3D object detection, semantics, tracking, or pedestrian intent prediction)

General Perks

• Help solve challenging problems with a direct impact on the company
• Competitive compensation packages with a housing/relocation bonus (if applicable)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Fun intern events and networking opportunities
• Onsite Perks
• Free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
• Free access to Google shuttles

Onsite gym

Note: This will be a hybrid 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.

The expected hourly rate for this full-time position is listed below. Interns are also eligible to participate in the Company’s generous benefits programs, subject to eligibility requirements.

Hourly Masters Pay

• $70
• $70 USD
• The expected hourly rate for this full-time position is listed below. Interns are also eligible to participate in the Company’s generous benefits programs, subject to eligibility requirements.

Hourly PhD Pay

• $85
• $85 USD