2027 Summer Intern, PhD, Safety Research, Human Behavior Analytics

The Human Behavior Analytics (HBA) team, part of the Waymo Safety team, conducts research and development on computational road user behavior models and other methods and tools used for evaluating the behavior and safety of the Waymo Driver. This work typically exists at the intersection between AI/ML and cognitive science and is done in close collaboration with other Waymo teams, in particular SW Research, Systems Engineering, Simulation and Data Science. The HBA team also engages extensively in research with external academic partners.

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!

• Survey the state-of-the-art in digital neuroscience / cognitive science and mechanistic interpretability
• Develop models able to represent some select aspects of human driving behavior not typically accounted for by existing data-driven ML models (e.g., collision avoidance, road user interaction or visual behavior)
• Explore and demonstrate different ways in which the internal mechanisms of these models can be interpreted and explained

• A strong research background and expertise in cognitive science and / or neuroscience
• Expertise in contemporary AI and machine learning
• Strong documented computational skills (math and coding)
• This role is specifically designed for current PhD candidates; applicants must be actively enrolled in a PhD program

• Specific experience from research on mechanistic interpretability