# Motion Planning Engineer \(PhD, Intern\) - Company: [Didi]() - Location: San Jose, CA - Team: Planning US - Posted: August 17, 2026 ## Job description **About The Company** DiDi's autonomous driving unit was established in 2016 with the mission of developing Level 4 autonomous driving (AD) technology to make transportation safer and more efficient. In August 2019, the unit became an independent company, DiDi Autonomous Driving, dedicated to advanced AD R&D, product application, and business expansion. We believe integrating AD technology into a shared-mobility fleet will generate immense social value. By leveraging DiDi's specialized technology, operational expertise, and integrated ecosystem, we are positioned to build and operate a highly efficient, user-oriented autonomous fleet. **About The Role** We are seeking a motivated PhD graduate with a strong research background in motion planning, robotics, or autonomous systems. In this role, you will apply your expertise in algorithm design and system integration to help develop next-generation planning capabilities for autonomous vehicles. **Responsibilities** * Implement novel solutions for Behavioral Planning, enabling high-level decision-making for lane changes, merges, yields, and multi-agent interactions. * Design and optimize motion planning algorithms that integrate geometry-based path reasoning and context-aware speed reasoning into smooth, safe trajectories. * Develop and improve core geometry and velocity planning systems to ensure feasibility, compliance, and comfort across diverse driving scenarios. * Model complex driving environments and agent behaviors to create a robust world representation for planning under uncertainty. * Formulate cost functions and optimization frameworks that balance safety, comfort, and efficiency in trajectory selection. * Analyze, test, and debug system performance through simulation and real-world data, conducting root-cause investigations and proposing enhancements. * Collaborate with researchers and engineers across Perception, Prediction, and Control to ensure an integrated, reliable autonomy stack. **Qualifications** * Recently completed or soon-to-complete PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field. * Research or Internship experience in one or more of the following: * Motion planning algorithms (optimization, sampling, graph/search-based methods) * Behavioral planning and decision-making under uncertainty * Trajectory optimization and control * Multi-agent interaction modeling * Proven research ability demonstrated by publications in top-tier conferences (e.g., RSS, ICRA, IROS, CVPR, NeurIPS, CoRL). * Hands-on experience in C++ for implementing complex, real-time algorithms. * Excellent analytical and communication skills, with a collaborative mindset. * For Internship Applicants: This role offers a clear pathway, with top-performing interns receiving the opportunity to convert to a full-time engineer upon successful completion of the program. The hourly rate for the Intern position in the selected city is $46. Interns will also be eligible for Intern benefits. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. This posting is for an existing vacancy. *I acknowledge that prior to submitting this application, I have read and accepted the Privacy Notice for California Residents which is available on* ** ## Apply [Apply on Didi]() Canonical job page: