Autonomy Engineer Intern, Reinforcement Learning, 2027 (Zurich)

Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial mobility. The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best-in-class hardware and software product development, operational excellence, and customer obsession to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users, from utility inspectors to first responders , soldiers in battlefield scenarios , and beyond .

Skydio builds the world's most advanced autonomous drones used across inspection, public safety, defense, cinematography, and more. Your research won't languish in a paper: it will

, shaping how pilots and operators complete real missions in complex environments. Develop and deploy

(and adjacent policy-learning methods) that make Skydio aircraft

themselves more intelligently, safely, reliably, and efficiently across our ecosystem: handheld apps, ground control, cloud autonomy services, and fleet workflows.

•

Train policies that adapt online to cluttered 3D scenes (forests, bridges, urban canyons), complementing our stack for robust obstacle avoidance and dynamic goal-seeking. •

Fuse learned cost shaping / value functions with trajectory optimization for smooth, agile flight with tight safety envelopes and mission constraints. •

Build scalable datasets and training loops with Isaac Lab, domain randomization, residual learning, and safety filters; validate on real drones weekly. •

Learn assistive policies that blend pilot intent, autonomy priors, and uncertainty-aware behaviors for intuitive control handoffs. •

Explore decentralized coordination for coverage, pursuit, and collaborative mapping with minimal comms.

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Prototype in sim, then flight test on production-ready aircraft and edge compute. Your work is meant to make a difference in the real world, not just in simulation. •

We pair RL with formal constraints, estimation of uncertainty, and conservative action filters for dependable deployment in human environments. •

Collaborate with perception, mapping, controls, and product teams to close the loop from research to field ops.

(PyTorch/JAX/Ray RLlib) and at least one of

The hourly rate for this position is $47/hr for Undergrad, $53/hr for Masters, and $70/hr for PhD students*. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience. In addition to base salary, Skydio full-time employees are eligible to enroll in our benefit plans and take advantage of a variety of incentives and stipends. *Compensation for certain positions may vary based on the position's location. #LI-DK1 At Skydio we believe that diversity drives innovation. We have created a multidisciplinary environment that embraces the power of diverse perspectives to create elegant solutions for complex problems. We are committed to growing our network of people, programs, and resources to nurture an inclusive culture. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local anti-discrimination laws. For positions located in the United States of America, Skydio, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/