---
title: 'Autonomy Engineer Intern, Reinforcement Learning, 2027 (Zurich) at Skydio'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-engineer-intern-reinforcement-learning-2027-zurich-skydio-zurich-tznhnz43ag49'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-29'
---

# Autonomy Engineer Intern, Reinforcement Learning, 2027 (Zurich) at Skydio

- **Company:** [Skydio](https://feeny.ai/companies/skydio)
- **Location:** Zurich, Switzerland
- **Employment:** internship
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-26
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-29
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/skydio/bdf927bf-8ec0-4bf4-9145-8211db836b6a

## Job description

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](https://www.skydio.com/solutions/energy-and-utilities) to [first responders](https://www.skydio.com/solutions/public-safety), [soldiers in battlefield scenarios](https://www.skydio.com/solutions/national-security/tactical-isr), and [beyond](https://www.skydio.com/solutions). About the role: 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 fly, shaping how pilots and operators complete real missions in complex environments. Develop and deploy reinforcement learning (and adjacent policy-learning methods) that make Skydio aircraft plan, navigate, and control themselves more intelligently, safely, reliably, and efficiently across our ecosystem: handheld apps, ground control, cloud autonomy services, and fleet workflows. How you'll make an impact:

- Navigation & avoidance in the wild: Train policies that adapt online to cluttered 3D scenes (forests, bridges, urban canyons), complementing our stack for robust obstacle avoidance and dynamic goal-seeking.
- RL-augmented planning: Fuse learned cost shaping / value functions with trajectory optimization for smooth, agile flight with tight safety envelopes and mission constraints.
- Sim to Real at scale: Build scalable datasets and training loops with Isaac Lab, domain randomization, residual learning, and safety filters; validate on real drones weekly.
- Human-in-the-loop shared control: Learn assistive policies that blend pilot intent, autonomy priors, and uncertainty-aware behaviors for intuitive control handoffs.
- Fleet & multi-agent: Explore decentralized coordination for coverage, pursuit, and collaborative mapping with minimal comms.

What makes this internship different:

- Real hardware cadence: 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.
- Safety-first learning: We pair RL with formal constraints, estimation of uncertainty, and conservative action filters for dependable deployment in human environments.
- Cross-disciplinary mentorship: Collaborate with perception, mapping, controls, and product teams to close the loop from research to field ops.

What makes you a strong fit:

- PhD student in Robotics, Machine Learning, Controls, or related field.
- Strong fundamentals in RL, control theory, and motion planning; comfort with safety/robustness concepts.
- Proficient in Python (PyTorch/JAX/Ray RLlib) and at least one of C++ or CUDA.
- Hands-on experience with robotics simulation (Isaac Lab/MuJoCo/PyBullet) and sim2real techniques.
- Experience training/deploying policies for navigation, manipulation, or locomotion on real robots or autonomous vehicles.

Nice-to-Haves:

- Publications (CoRL, ICRA, IROS, RSS, NeurIPS).
- Experience with onboard inference optimization (TensorRT, quantization, sparsity).
- Familiarity with modern policy learning beyond vanilla RL: diffusion policies, IL/BC, offline RL, model-based RL.
- Experience with multi-agent RL or distributed training.

Compensation: 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/

## About Skydio

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Skydio builds autonomous drones and platforms for public safety, critical infrastructure inspection, and national security, enabling safer, smarter, and faster data collection.
- **Entity Type**: Private – Series E ($230M raised)
- **Headquarters**: San Mateo, California, United States (manufacturing hub in Hayward, CA; satellite offices in Boston, Japan, and India)
- **Founded**: 2014
- **Founders**: Adam Bry (CEO) and Abe Bachrach (CTO) – both MIT graduates and co-founders of Google’s Project Wing

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Drone manufacturing, autonomous flight software, public safety / first responder technology, infrastructure inspection, defense / national security
- **Target customers**: B2G (government/public safety), B2B (energy, utilities, construction, surveying), and defense organizations
- **Mission statement**: “To make the world more productive, creative, and safe with autonomous flight”

## Products & Services
- **[Skydio X10](https://www.skydio.com/)**: Flagship autonomous drone with best-in-class sensors, advanced AI, and cloud integration – designed for outdoor inspection, DFR, and site security.
- **[Skydio R10](https://www.skydio.com/)**: Indoor-capable, compact drone for tight quarters (e.g., building interiors) with onboard lighting and communications.
- **[Skydio Dock for X10](https://www.skydio.com/)**: Remote docking station enabling autonomous launch, landing, and charging – supports unattended mission execution.
- **[Skydio Cloud & Software Platform](https://www.skydio.com/)**: End-to-end software for mission planning, live streaming, data processing, and fleet management (includes Drone as First Responder solutions, asset inspection, and mapping).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Funding**: $230 million raised in a Series E round (led by Linse Capital, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Next47, IVP, DoCoMo, Nvidia, UP.Partners; angel investors include Brendan Iribe, Naval Ravikant, Padma Warrior, Matt Bellamy, Magic Johnson, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Durant). Valuation not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Over 60,000 drones delivered; “9 figures of annual revenue” (i.e., $100M+) with rapid growth [skydio.com/careers](https://www.skydio.com/careers).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz, Nvidia, IVP, DoCoMo, UP.Partners.
- **Growth Signals**: Company reports rapid revenue growth; expanding into national security contracts; manufacturing hub in Hayward; global presence with offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Zurich.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Purely U.S. based** – designed, assembled, and supported in the USA, meeting strict national security and supply chain standards.
- **Deep AI autonomy** – world-leading computer vision and autonomous flight technology, built by a team that pioneered the field at MIT and Google X.
- **Full-stack platform** – drones, docks, cloud software, and mission-specific integrations create a locked-in ecosystem that’s hard to replicate.
- **Mission-critical trust** – deployed by police departments, defense agencies, and utilities for life-saving and infrastructure-protecting missions.

## Strategic Focus
- **Scaling drone-as-a-first-responder (DFR)** programs across public safety agencies.
- **Expanding defense & national security** verticals (survivable sUAS, battlefield situational awareness).
- **Deepening enterprise inspection & mapping** offerings for energy, telecom, and civil infrastructure.
- **International growth** – offices in Japan, India, Singapore, Switzerland, and Finland.

## Why Work Here
- **Purpose-driven impact** – work on tech that “makes our world safer and more efficient” (autonomous drones for first responders, search & rescue, battlefield awareness).
- **Cutting-edge engineering** – stack spans AI/robotics, computer vision, cloud, mobile, aerodynamics, sensors, and hardware; described as “the Mount Everest of technology.”
- **Collaborative culture** – “intense but rewarding”; teams include world-class engineers, special forces operators, and industry experts.
- **Hybrid/office** – headquarters in San Mateo (Bay Area) with manufacturing in Hayward; satellite offices in Boston, Japan, and India. Many engineering roles are on-site or hybrid, but some positions list remote (US) availability.
- **Notable perks** – no explicit perks listed, but culture emphasizes real-world impact, cross-functional work, and autonomy to solve hard problems.

## Sources
1. [skydio.com](https://www.skydio.com/) – Main site (products, mission, drone capabilities)
2. [skydio.com/about](https://www.skydio.com/about) – Founders, leadership, and company history
3. [skydio.com/careers](https://www.skydio.com/careers) – Company stats (60k drones, 9-figure revenue, mission, culture, office locations)
4. [linkedin.com/company/skydio](https://www.linkedin.com/company/skydio) – Company description
5. [cbinsights.com/company/skydio/financials](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/skydio/financials) – Funding round details (Series E, $230M)

## Other roles at Skydio

- [Sales Director, Utilities](https://feeny.ai/job/sales-director-utilities-skydio-united-states-axtanv7wc22f) — United States
- [Key Account Leader, Majors, Public Safety (Northwest)](https://feeny.ai/job/key-account-leader-majors-public-safety-northwest-skydio-united-states-x2vekzw5qqn5) — United States
- [Hardware Operations Program Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-operations-program-manager-skydio-hayward-axgg840ceyy6) — Hayward, CA
- [Staff Software Engineer - Streaming Infrastructure](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-software-engineer-streaming-infrastructure-skydio-san-mateo-saehmka3map5) — San Mateo, CA
- [Senior Software Engineer -  Streaming Infrastructure](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-software-engineer-streaming-infrastructure-skydio-san-mateo-6xjdq2xfrek7) — San Mateo, CA
- [Manufacturing Intern - Summer 2027](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-intern-summer-2027-skydio-hayward-xrkznbyy9nb6) — Hayward, CA
- [Autonomy Engineer Intern, Autonomy Infrastructure, Systems and Tools, 2027 (Zurich)](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-engineer-intern-autonomy-infrastructure-systems-and-tools-2027-zurich-b83jebf38k6c) — Zurich, Switzerland
- [Autonomy Engineer Intern, Simulation & Robotics, 2027 (HQ)](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-engineer-intern-simulation-robotics-2027-hq-skydio-san-mateo-09bdz17bv5gf) — San Mateo, CA
- [Autonomy Engineer Intern, Simulation & Robotics, 2027 (Zurich)](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-engineer-intern-simulation-robotics-2027-zurich-skydio-zurich-e4gq6cw86q90) — Zurich, Switzerland
- [Autonomy Engineer Intern, Reinforcement Learning, 2027 (HQ)](https://feeny.ai/job/autonomy-engineer-intern-reinforcement-learning-2027-hq-skydio-san-mateo-45nfaqcvkjb5) — San Mateo, CA