1.78 Robotics Graduate Research Internship – Robot Learning

Field AI is transforming how robots interact with the real world. We are building risk-aware, reliable, and field-ready AI systems that address the most complex challenges in robotics, unlocking the full potential of embodied intelligence. We go beyond typical data-driven approaches or pure transformer-based architectures, and are charting a new course, with already-globally-deployed solutions delivering real-world results and rapidly improving models through real-field applications.

About the Job

We are offering a Graduate Research Internship in Robot Learning, designed for MS and PhD students who want to contribute to advancing the state of embodied intelligence. As a graduate intern, you will work closely with Field AI researchers and engineers to investigate novel methods for skill learning, foundation models in robotics, and large-scale training pipelines.

This internship provides the opportunity to develop research ideas, design experiments, and directly test your work on real robots — bridging cutting-edge AI with practical field deployment. Interns will also have the chance to contribute to publications, open-source software, and collaborative projects that advance the robotics research community.

• 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 and LLMs 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 in PyTorch and distributed systems.
• Experiment with 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 platforms (manipulators, mobile robots, and more).
• Tackle field robotics challenges such as traversability, locomotion, and dexterous manipulation.

• Collaborate and Publish
• Partner with Field AI’s research team to drive forward projects with real-world impact.
• Contribute to publications in top-tier venues (CoRL, ICRA, NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, etc.) where appropriate.

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

• Published research in robotics, AI/ML, or related fields. (CoRL, ICRA, IROS, NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, etc.).
• Experience with distributed training, large-scale ML systems, or high-performance computing.
• 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 (3D vision, mapping, traversability analysis) or dexterous manipulation.

Compensation and Benefits

Our salary range is between ($70,000 - $300,000 annual), but we take into consideration an individual's background and experience in determining final salary; base pay offered may vary considerably depending on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.  Also, while we enjoy being together on-site, we are open to exploring a hybrid or remote option.

Why Join Field AI?

We are solving one of the world’s most complex challenges: deploying robots in unstructured, previously unknown environments. Our Field Foundational Models™ set a new standard in perception, planning, localization, and manipulation, ensuring our approach is explainable and safe for deployment.

You will have the opportunity to work with a world-class team that thrives on creativity, resilience, and bold thinking. With a decade-long track record of deploying solutions in the field, winning DARPA challenge segments, and bringing expertise from organizations like DeepMind, NASA JPL, Boston Dynamics, NVIDIA, Amazon, Tesla Autopilot, Cruise Self-Driving, Zoox, Toyota Research Institute, and SpaceX, we are set to achieve our ambitious goals.

Be Part of the Next Robotics Revolution

To tackle such ambitious challenges, we need a team as unique as our vision — innovators who go beyond conventional methods and are eager to tackle tough, uncharted questions. We’re seeking individuals who challenge the status quo, dive into uncharted territory, and bring interdisciplinary expertise. Our team requires not only top AI talent but also exceptional software developers, engineers, product designers, field deployment experts, and communicators.

We are headquartered in always-sunny Irvine, Southern California and have US based and global teammates. 

Join us, shape the future, and be part of a fun, close-knit team on an exciting journey!

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance. We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.

Salary : $70,000 - $300,000