Energy & Materials Research Intern, Color Perception

At Toyota Research Institute (TRI), we’re on a mission to improve the quality of human life. We’re developing new tools and capabilities to amplify the human experience. To lead this transformative shift in mobility, we’ve built a world-class team in Energy & Materials, Human-Centered AI, Human Interactive Driving, Large Behavioral Models, and Robotics.
This is a summer 2025 paid 12-week internship opportunity with the Energy & Materials team in the AMDD (Accelerated Materials Design and Discovery) department at TRI. Please note that this internship will be a hybrid in-office role based in Los Altos, CA.
The Mission
This internship is a joint opportunity between TRI’s Human-Centered AI (HCAI) and Energy & Materials (E&M) divisions. HCAI is an integrated team of ML researchers, behavioral scientists, and human-computer interaction experts who aim to support people to make better decisions by leveraging the best of big data, technology, and insights about why we do what we do. E&M is an interdisciplinary team of materials scientists and ML researchers aiming to accelerate the discovery of advanced materials for future mobility.
The Team
This specific internship is co-hosted between HCAI’s Carbon Neutrality and E&M’s AMDD departments. HCAI’s Carbon Neutrality department is an interdisciplinary team of researchers working on tools and methods to enable consumers to contribute to carbon neutrality through Toyota products. E&M’s AMDD department is focused on advancing Toyota’s transition to carbon neutrality through accelerated materials design and discovery.
This Internship
We are looking for an intern researcher to study subjective color perception and color difference perception in the context of automotive paint. Paint is a major contributor to automotive manufacturing carbon emissions, but adoption of next-generation paints is slowed by difficulties in quality control caused by a disconnect between spectroscopy and subjective perception of color constancy. As part of this project, you will have the opportunity to work to develop better, industry-specific models of color perception from measured and subjectively judged data, as well as to develop models of individual color sensitivity. We welcome you to join a unique team of scientists and engineers where you will constantly learn new skills at the interface of cognitive science, materials science, and AI.

Qualifications

• Are currently enrolled in a PhD program in STEM or other related subjects (cognitive science, neuroscience, human-computer interaction, philosophy, materials science, chemistry, applied math, statistics, chemical engineering, computer science)
• Knowledge of experimental design and validation for machine learning projects
• Experience in building and evaluating machine learning models for predictive analytics

Bonus Qualifications

• Familiarity with color science concepts, including colorimetry, color correction, and visual perception
• Experience with connecting human qualitative observations to numerical results
• Experience with color perception and human psychophysics
• Proficiency in data visualization tools such as Matplotlib, Plotly, or Tableau

Please add a link to Google Scholar and include a full list of publications when submitting your CV to this position.
The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $45 and $65/hour for California-based roles; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Note that TRI offers a generous benefits package including vacation and sick time. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
Please reference this Candidate Privacy Notice to inform you of the categories of personal information that we collect from individuals who inquire about and/or apply to work for Toyota Research Institute, Inc. or its subsidiaries, including Toyota A.I. Ventures GP, L.P., and the purposes for which we use such personal information.
TRI is fueled by a diverse and inclusive community of people with unique backgrounds, education and life experiences. We are dedicated to fostering an innovative and collaborative environment by living the values that are an essential part of our culture. We believe diversity makes us stronger and are proud to provide Equal Employment Opportunity for all, without regard to an applicant’s race, color, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, religion, marital status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state or local laws.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.