Research Engineer, Learnable Planner (Integration)

Position Overview

• Location Type: Hybrid (Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas)
• Job Type: Full-time
• Salary: Not specified

Waabi, founded by AI pioneer Raquel Urtasun, is an AI company developing the next generation of self-driving technology. They are building the next generation of self-driving technology with a world-class team and an innovative approach. Waabi is backed by best-in-class investors. With offices in Toronto, San Francisco, and Dallas, Waabi is growing quickly and looking for diverse, innovative, and collaborative candidates. To learn more visit: www.waabi.ai

Role: Learnable Planner Research Engineer

This role focuses on integrating cutting-edge AI technologies into Waabi's autonomy/planner stack, contributing to the development of a single, end-to-end AI system for fully driverless autonomous trucks and the revolutionary Waabi World simulator.

Requirements

• Education: MS/PhD in machine learning, computer science, engineering, or a related field. Exceptional Bachelor’s students will also be considered.
• Experience: Experience in ML-based or classical techniques for planning/decision making (e.g., imitation and reinforcement learning, optimization-based approaches, search methods, probabilistic reasoning).
• Skills:
  • Passion for translating research ideas into practical solutions.
  • Open-minded and collaborative team player.
  • Solid understanding of computing fundamentals and code efficiency.
  • Experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch).
  • Proficiency in Python, Rust, C++ and/or CUDA.

Responsibilities

• Integrate cutting-edge ML models into the production planning stack (from development to validation, deployment, and monitoring).
• Develop necessary interfaces and pipelines in simulation for testing prototype or production planning models.
• Work closely with motion planning sub-teams and research scientists to improve planner architecture and develop rich, novel representations.
• Champion engineering excellence, ensuring high-quality, well-structured, and tested code.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in AI, machine learning, computer vision, and self-driving technologies.
• Work with large datasets from various sources and Waabi World (high-fidelity simulator).
• Contribute to the publication of research findings in conferences and Waabi’s blog.

Bonus/Nice to Have

• Experience deploying ML/DL models to a production motion planning or related robotics environment.