Autonomous Driving Intern

Isuzu Technical Center of America is seeking an Autonomous Driving Intern to join its operations in Plymouth, MI. 

The selected candidate will be placed with a preferred agency for employment.

Autonomous Driving Intern

Isuzu Technical Center of America (ITCA) is seeking a highly motivated Autonomous Driving Intern to support the Advanced Engineering team in the development, integration, and validation of Level 4 autonomous commercial vehicles and fleet operations. In this role, the intern will contribute to perception, planning, and/or control algorithm development, system integration, and the construction of simulation and end-to-end testing environments. The intern will work closely with Isuzu internal engineering teams and external partners to design, implement, integrate, and evaluate autonomous driving system components, with a focus on system-level interactions across perception, planning, control, and vehicle interfaces. Responsibilities include supporting algorithm development and integration, assisting with closed-loop simulation and on-road issue analysis, and helping validate system performance in simulation and vehicle testing environments, providing exposure to system thinking, algorithm iteration, and deployment workflows within a collaborative and fast-paced engineering environment.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSABILITIES

1. (Perception Oriented) Research, develop, and iterate visual perception algorithms for autonomous driving, including object detection, recognition, image segmentation, and occupancy grid (Occupancy). Develop fusion perception algorithms (e.g., occluded-object fusion, parking-space fusion) and continuously improve the visualization and interpretability of perception outputs. (Planning & Control Oriented)  Design, develop, and optimize planning and control algorithms, including behavior planning, trajectory planning, and vehicle control, ensuring safety, comfort, and robustness.

2. Demonstrate strong system-level thinking, understanding the interactions and dependencies across perception, planning, control, localization, and vehicle interfaces.

3. Perform end-to-end system integration and testing, from simulation and SIL/HIL to on-road vehicle testing, to identify, diagnose, and resolve real-world driving issues.

4. Lead root-cause analysis of on-road failures, especially in complex or long-tail scenarios, and drive systematic fixes across multiple modules rather than local optimizations.

5. Support deployment of autonomous driving systems on real vehicles, continuously improving performance through closed-loop validation and iterative refinement.

6. Miscellaneous duties as assigned.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Reports to: Manager, Autonomous Driving

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & TRAINING

• Master’s degree or above in Robotics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Electronic Engineering, or related fields, with extensive experience in autonomous driving algorithm development across perception, planning, and control.
• Expert-level candidates should demonstrate technical leadership and/or publications in top-tier academic conferences.
• Candidates must have a GPA of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale
• Prior industry experience in robotics or autonomous driving is preferred

KNOWLEDGE

• Deep understanding of machine learning, deep learning, motion planning, and control theory, with the ability to reason about system-wide trade-offs.
• Hands-on experience with end-to-end autonomous driving systems, including simulation-based testing, SIL/HIL validation, and on-road debugging.
• Familiarity with planning and control techniques such as state machines, search-based and optimization-based planning, MPC, PID, or related methods.
• Exposure to middleware frameworks like ROS (Robot Operating System)

SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Strong proficiency in C++ and Python, with solid foundations in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering best practices.
• Experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, and performance optimization using CUDA, TensorRT, or real-time system acceleration is a plus.
• Strong problem-solving mindset, excellent cross-team communication skills, and the ability to independently drive end-to-end issue resolution from field data to production fixes.
• Proficiency in robotics-related software: ROS, ROS2, NVIDIA Isaac Sim, PyTorch, OpenCV
• Proficiency in version control management tool: GitHub
• Valid driver license with good record

PHYSICAL STANDARDS

The employee must be able to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer.  This is primarily a sedentary position in a controlled office environment which requires only occasional reaching, stooping, and lifting of office files, reports or records, typically weighing 5 lbs. or less.  Requires occasional light lifting (5-25 lbs) and on rare occasions, heavy lifting (60 lbs).   Must be able on rare occasions to bend, crawl, climb, crouch, kneel and reach above shoulder level in the performance of job duties. Must be able to work in hot and cold weather extremes.