Isuzu Technical Center of America is seeking an Advanced Engineering & Research Intern to join its operations in Plymouth, MI, for Summer/Fall 2026. The selected candidate will be placed with a preferred agency for employment.
JOB SUMMARY
Supports advanced engineering and research for Level 4 autonomous driving by developing, evaluating, and applying multimodal AI models - including vision-language models (VLMs), vision-language-action models (VLAs), large language models (LLMs), and world models - for data triage, autonomous driving system development, simulation, and verification and validation (V&V). Works closely with Isuzu U.S. and Japan teams, well known autonomous driving partners, and research institutes to build AI-assisted workflows for mining on-road data, identifying edge cases, generating and curating scenarios, analyzing perception/prediction/planning behavior, and improving simulation-based safety evaluation. Works at the intersection of vehicle engineering, robotics, machine learning, data engineering, and safety assurance. Performs tasks of increasing complexity throughout the internship.
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PRINCIPAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Researches, prototypes, and evaluates VLM, VLA, LLM, and world model approaches for automated data triage, semantic scene understanding, edge-case discovery, and autonomous vehicle safety analysis.
Analyzes multimodal on-road and simulation data (camera, LiDAR, radar, GPS/IMU, CAN, and system logs) to identify safety trends, model failure modes, and data-quality gaps.
Supports scenario mining, generation, and simulation V&V workflows to test autonomous driving perception, prediction, planning, and control behavior.
Collaborates with engineers to integrate AI model outputs into autonomous driving development tools, metrics, dashboards, and simulation pipelines.
Prepares and communicates technical findings, experiment results, and recommended next steps to teams across the U.S. and Japan.
Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.
ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to: Manager, Autonomous Driving & MBD
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & TRAINING
- Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. program in Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, or a related field
- Academic focus or coursework in autonomous systems, ML/DL/RL, VLMs, VLAs, LLMs, generative AI, world models, computer vision, sensor fusion, vehicle dynamics, simulation, or V&V is preferred
- Prior internship, research, or project experience with multimodal data, LLM/VLM evaluation, simulation, autonomous driving/robotics, or automotive systems is a plus, but not required
Strong academic standing (e.g., minimum 3.0 GPA or equivalent recommended, 3.5+ preferred)
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KNOWLEDGE
- Foundational understanding of data analysis, statistics, ML/DL/RL, model evaluation, and data curation for large-scale multimodal datasets
Basic knowledge of autonomous driving architecture, vehicle sensors, data logs, scenario-based testing, simulation V&V, and vehicle safety systems is a plus
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SKILLS & ABILITIES
- Strong analytical, research, and problem-solving skills
- Proficiency in Python; familiarity with C++, Linux, Git, SQL, or data pipeline tools
- Familiarity with ML and simulation tools (e.g., PyTorch, Hugging Face, OpenCV, ROS/ROS 2, CARLA, Simulink, or equivalent) is a plus
- Ability to evaluate and document AI model behavior, limitations, safety implications, and V&V results
Effective communication; ability to work independently and collaboratively across U.S. and Japan teams
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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.
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