Internship: Motion Planning

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation, committed to a safer and more efficient future. The company has developed an AI-powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. Kodiak delivers freight daily for customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test, and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Join Kodiak as a Behavior Planning Intern! As an intern on our Motion Planning team, you will work on developing core decision-making and motion planning algorithms that drive our autonomous trucks. Intern projects may include improving strategies for navigating complex highway merges, optimizing lane change behaviors, and refining low-speed behavior in industrial operations. This role offers a hands-on opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge AV technology while gaining valuable experience in real-world autonomous driving scenarios.

In this role, you will:

• Receive mentorship from top-level robotics engineers.
• Advance a state-of-the-art autonomous trucking platform.
• Deploy code on autonomous trucks operating in the real world. Gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and methodologies used in robotics and autonomous vehicles.
• Strengthen your coding skills by working with a production-level codebase, with a focus on modern C++.
• Work in a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Design and implement solutions to complex robotics problems.
• Have potential opportunities for full-time roles.

What you'll bring:

• Field(s) of study: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Machine Learning, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other related fields.
• Are currently pursuing a degree at an accredited university.
• Juniors, Seniors, or graduate students.
• Strong C++ and Python programming skills.
• Strong kinematics, linear algebra, and calculus.
• Ability to solve basic optimization problems.
• Ability to solve basic computational geometry problems.
• Solid understanding of motion planning, decision-making, and trajectory optimization for autonomous systems.

Internship Program Details:

• Start Date: January 2027.
• Our internship program is 12-16 weeks; the end date is flexible based on individual needs.
• Location: Mountain View, CA.
• Housing: Interns are responsible for housing.

What we offer:

• A fast-paced environment where we work with talented, committed, and supportive teammates.
• Competitive pay.
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• A beautiful facility in Mountain View.
• We love our dogs, so we are a dog-friendly office!
• Free catered lunch.