Skills this job asks for
Machine learningDeep learningTensorFlowPyTorchPythonC++Networking
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Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two. Worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
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✓
Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 290 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first.
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The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
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No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area.
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What Waymo LLC paid sponsored hires in similar roles12 certified filings for “Research Scientist” (Computer and Information Research Scientists) in CA: $209k–$255k, median $250k.
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Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
Details and sources
- Employer is on a government sponsor record
- The US Department of Labor certified 290 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- No salary bar for this route
- H-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- What Waymo LLC paid sponsored hires in similar roles
- 12 certified filings for “Research Scientist” (Computer and Information Research Scientists) in CA: $209k–$255k, median $250k. Most were filed at wage level II (44%) — 2 lottery entries, ≈31% projected selection odds for cap-subject employers. Source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026).
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence. It is not legal advice and never a guarantee: the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
About the role
Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with the mission to be the world's most trusted driver. Since its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has focused on building the Waymo Driver—The World's Most Experienced Driver™—to improve access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo’s fully autonomous ride-hail service and can also be applied to a range of vehicle platforms and product use cases. The Waymo Driver has provided over ten million rider-only trips, enabled by its experience autonomously driving over 100 million miles on public roads and tens of billions in simulation across 15+ U.S. states.
Software Engineering builds the brains of Waymo's fully autonomous driving technology. Our software allows the Waymo Driver to perceive the world around it, make the right decision for every situation, and deliver people safely to their destinations. We think deeply and solve complex technical challenges in areas like robotics, perception, decision-making and deep learning, while collaborating with hardware and systems engineers. If you’re a software engineer or researcher who’s curious and passionate about Level 4 autonomous driving, we'd like to meet you.
The subteam for this role will be:
The Predictive Planning team (PrePlan) develops and deploys state of the art machine learning solutions that predicts the future state of the world and plans the Waymo Driver's Behavior. Our mission is to transform Waymo's unprecedented scale of driving data into robust, generalizable, and perform at deep neural networks. These models enable the autonomous vehicle to navigate complex environments safely and efficiently.
Waymo interns partner with leaders in the industry on projects that create impact to the company. We believe learning is a two-way street: applying your knowledge while providing you with opportunities to expand your skill-set. Interns are an important part of our culture and our recruiting pipeline. Join us at Waymo for a fun and rewarding internship!
You will:
• Research, implement, and evaluate state-of-the-art generative models for planning and predictions using JAX
• Conduct machine learning models experiments
• Produce high-quality, thoroughly tested code
• Collaborate with research, product, and engineering teams to introduce new research concepts
You have:
• Currently pursuing a PhD degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Robotics, or related field
• Experience with deep learning, or reinforcement learning
• Hands-on experience with modern deep learning libraries (eg: TensorFlow, JAX, Pytorch) with basic programming skills (eg: Python, C/C++)
• Strong analytical and debugging skills
We prefer:
• Publications in top-tier conferences such as: ICML, NeurIPS, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, ICLR, IROS, CoRL, ACL, or EMNLP
• Prior software development or research industry experience (including internships)
General Perks
• Competitive compensation packages with a housing/relocation bonus (if applicable)
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Fun intern events and networking opportunities
Onsite Perks
• Free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks
• Free access to Google shuttles
• Onsite gym
Note: This will be a hybrid onsite internship position. We will accept resumes on a rolling basis until the role is filled. To be in consideration for multiple roles, you will need to apply to each one individually - please apply to the top 3 roles you are interested in.
The expected hourly rate for this full-time position is listed below. Interns are also eligible to participate in the Company’s generous benefits programs, subject to eligibility requirements.
Hourly PhD Pay
$85 — $85 USD
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