Research Science: Internship opportunities - Embodied AI for Robotic Manipulation

Microsoft Research Asia – Tokyo is committed to advancing cutting-edge AI technologies that enable deeper understanding and interaction with people, objects, and environments in the 3D real world. Our research spans a diverse range of areas, including computer vision, generative AI, 3D perception, and robotic action learning, among others relevant to Embodied AI. By pushing the boundaries of these domains, we aim to develop innovative solutions that bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds, empowering AI systems to perceive, comprehend, and navigate complex real-world scenarios.

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD student to join our team as a Research Intern. This internship offers a unique opportunity to work on cutting-edge research in the field of Vision-Language Models (VLMs), fundamental machine learning, computer vision, and Spatial AI, and Robotics, for realization of Embodied AI. The successful candidate will work together as a team of experienced researchers to tackle real-world challenges and contribute to the advancement of AI technologies.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to a high-impact research agenda within the context of a highly collaborative research culture alongside a team of experts in Embodied AI.
• Design and implement experiments to test new hypotheses and validate research findings.
• Communicate research findings to an interdisciplinary research team.
• Prepare technical papers, presentations, and open-source releases of research code.

Qualifications

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

Required Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Robotics, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or a related STEM field.
• Research experience in embodied AI, robotics, AI models, natural language, computer vision, demonstrated for example through research in a related PhD program and/or publications in conferences or scientific journals.
• Hands-on experience with Python and modern deep learning frameworks.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently as part of a team.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to present complex ideas clearly.

Other Requirements

• Ability to physically work from Microsoft Research Asia – Tokyo (Japan) for the duration of the internship.
• Must obtain permission from your academic advisor and commit to at least four months of internship.

Preferred/Additional Qualifications

• Proven software engineering skills, evidenced by professional experience, internships, and impactful open-source contributions.
• Experience with reinforcement learning or imitation learning for robotic control.
• Experience with simulation environments (e.g., Isaac Sim); sim-to-real transfer for robot manipulation is a plus.
• Familiarity with robotics concepts (e.g., path planning, control theory) is preferred but not required.