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CI0314: Internship - Embodied AI & Humanoid Robotics
Join our cutting-edge research team to help advance the next generation of Embodied AI and Humanoid Robotics. As a research intern, you will develop AI technologies that enable humanoid robots to understand, reason, and interact with the physical world through complex manipulation, assembly, and tool-use tasks. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to impactful research with the goal of publishing at leading AI and robotics conferences.
What You'll Work On
Depending on your background and interests, projects may include:
- Embodied AI for dexterous manipulation, assembly, and tool use
- Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models and Foundation Models for robotic control
- World-Action Models (WAM) for long-horizon planning and decision making
- Learning from human demonstrations, teleoperation, and autonomous data collection
- Sim-to-real transfer, reinforcement learning, and real-world robot deployment
What We're Looking For
We are seeking highly motivated graduate students with:
- Strong research experience in robotics, embodied AI, machine learning, computer vision, or related fields
- Experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX, and strong Python programming skills
- Familiarity with one or more of the following:
- Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models
- Foundation Models or multimodal AI
- Reinforcement learning or imitation learning
- Robot manipulation, motion planning, or control
- Agentic AI systems for robotics
Preferred qualifications:
- Hands-on experience with humanoid or loco manipulators (e.g., Unitree G1)
- Experience with teleoperation systems (e.g., Pico, Sonic)
- Experience with robotics simulators (e.g., Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, Genesis)
- Familiarity with ROS/ROS 2 and real-world robot experimentation
- Familiarity with policy deployment on edge AI devices (e.g., Jetson GPUs)
Internship Details
- Duration: Approximately 4 months
- Start Date: Flexible
- Location: Cambridge, MA
- Objective: Conduct high-impact research leading to publications at premier AI and robotics conferences (e.g., CoRL, RSS, ICRA, IROS, NeurIPS, ICML)
If you are excited about building AI that enables robots to perform complex real-world tasks—including assembly, tool use, and dexterous manipulation—we encourage you to apply.
The pay range for this internship position will be 6-8K per month.
- Research Areas: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning, Control, Computer Vision, Optimization, Signal Processing, Speech & Audio
- Host: Toshi Koike-Akino
- Apply Now
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MS0254: Internship - Decentralized Data Assimilation for Large Scale Systems
MERL is seeking a highly motivated and qualified intern to conduct research on decentralized data assimilation for multi-physical and multi-component systems governed by large-scale nonlinear differential-algebraic equations (DAEs). The research will focus on the study, development, and efficient implementation of data assimilation algorithms for such complex systems. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in one or more of the following areas: nonlinear estimation and control, Bayesian methods, machine learning, graph theory, and optimization, with demonstrated expertise through peer-reviewed publications or equivalent experience. Proficiency in Julia or Python programming is required. Senior Ph.D. students in mechanical, electrical, chemical engineering, or related fields are encouraged to apply. The internship is typically 3 months in duration, with a flexible start date.
The pay range for this internship position will be 6-8K per month.
- Research Areas: Machine Learning, Multi-Physical Modeling, Dynamical Systems, Control, Optimization
- Host: Vedang Deshpande
- Apply Now
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MS0259: Internship - Multi-Fidelity Dynamic Models for Energy Systems
MERL seeks a motivated graduate student to develop multi-fidelity dynamic simulation methods for energy systems (e.g., vapor-compression/HVAC cycles and related multiphysics platforms). Candidates should have hands-on time-domain numerical simulation experience (ODE/DAE integration, implicit/iterative solvers, sparse linear algebra), familiarity with model reduction or surrogate modeling, solid thermofluids literacy (thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics), and strong programming skills in Python/Julia/Matlab. System identification and/or numerical optimization for dynamical systems, and familiarity with equation-oriented tools (Modelica or Simscape), are desirable; a track record of rigorous research (papers or robust software) is preferred. Senior PhD students in applied mathematics, chemical/mechanical engineering, or related areas are encouraged to apply. The internship is 3 months, with a flexible start date.
The pay range for this internship position will be 6-8K per month.
- Research Areas: Multi-Physical Modeling, Dynamical Systems, Optimization, Data Analytics
- Host: Hongtao Qiao
- Apply Now
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CA0153: Internship - High-Fidelity Visualization and Simulation for Space Applications
MERL is seeking a highly motivated graduate student to develop high-fidelity full-stack GNC simulators for space applications. The ideal candidate has strong experience with rendering engines, synthetic image generation, and computer vision, as well as familiarity with spacecraft dynamics, motion planning, and state estimation. The developed software should allow for closed-loop execution with the synthetic imagery, and ideally allow for real-time visualization. Publication of results produced during the internship is desired. The expected duration of the internship is 3-6 months with a flexible start date.
Required Specific Experience
- Current enrollment in a graduate program in Aerospace, Computer Science, Robotics, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
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Experience with one or more of Blender, Unreal, Unity, along with their APIs
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Strong programming skills in one or more of Matlab, Python, and/or C/C++
The pay range for this internship position will be6-8K per month.
- Research Areas: Computer Vision, Control, Dynamical Systems, Optimization
- Host: Avishai Weiss
- Apply Now