PhD Research Intern, Physical AI - Foundation Models - 2027 - CA, Santa Clara, United States
$38 - $94 USD yearly
Originally posted 15 September 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This PhD Research Intern role focuses on advancing Generative AI for Physical AI, specifically for world models and generative AI systems across robotics, autonomous driving, smart spaces, and embodied agents.
What you'll do
- Conduct research in generative AI, multimodal foundation models, world models, and embodied AI.
- Develop algorithms for video understanding/generation, action-conditioned simulation, multimodal reasoning, and policy learning.
- Train and evaluate large-scale models using video, image, language, and robotics or autonomous driving data.
- Collaborate with researchers and engineers across AI, robotics, simulation, and graphics teams.
- Publish research at top conferences and transfer innovations into NVIDIA products.
What you'll need
- Currently pursuing a PhD in CS, EE, Robotics, or related fields.
- Strong background in generative AI, computer vision, multimodal learning, robotics, or reinforcement learning.
- Prior publication record and research experience.
- Strong Python and PyTorch skills.
Skills: Generative AI, Physical AI, world models, robotics, autonomous driving
This role has been open 23 days — well below the 76-day median for AI/ML Hardware Engineering roles.
AI/ML Hardware Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
520
|
Median days open
76 d
|
Median salary
$235k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | NVIDIA | All employers we track in this specialty (520 roles · 76 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 91 | 520 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 966 | 6085 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 52 d | 76 d (−24 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $235k |
Skills observed across this category: Generative AI, Physical AI, world models, robotics, autonomous driving
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 100 open roles · median 113 d
- NVIDIA (this employer) · 92 open roles · median 57 d
- AMD · 40 open roles · median 69 d
- Micron Technology · 31 open roles · median 63 d
- Mobileye · 19 open roles · median 71 d
- Analog Devices · 17 open roles · median 27 d
How we counted: 520 open AI/ML Hardware Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 76 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.
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