--- title: 'Machine Learning Internship, Manipulation at Persona AI Inc' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/machine-learning-internship-manipulation-persona-ai-inc-houston-6dyjj0j4xgc0' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-13' --- # Machine Learning Internship, Manipulation at Persona AI Inc - **Company:** Persona AI Inc - **Location:** Houston, TX - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-07-31 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/persona.ai/ed9a7425-9798-471e-b46a-fefd59570630 ## Job description Job Title: Machine Learning Internship, Manipulation Department: Robotics Software Engineering Employment Type: Internship Location: Houston, TX – Onsite ## Who We Are Persona AI is developing and commercializing rugged, multi-purpose humanoid robots that perform real work. Persona AI’s founding team has a decades-long history in humanoid robotics, bionics, and product development delivering robust hardware that has touched the stars, worked miles below the surface of the ocean, and even roamed Disney Parks. Our mission is focused squarely on shipping beautiful, reliable products at massive scale, while building a customer-focused team to achieve these aims. ## About the Role We're looking for a Machine Learning Intern (Manipulation) to help build Persona's machine learning models and infrastructure. We are primarily interested in candidates with experience and relevant projects in robot learning, but can be flexible depending on aptitude and energy. As a Machine Learning Intern at Persona, you will have an incredible opportunity to work with humanoid robots and solve practical problems in the real world. ## What You'll Do - Work with the ML team to develop and improve machine learning models and the infrastructure. - Monitor and evaluate the performance of models in the real world. - Collaborate on the design and development of the Persona ML software stack and support its application in manipulation, navigation, locomotion, and perception. ## What We're Looking For - Courage and grit to tackle some of the hardest problems in embodied AI. - Enthusiasm for working collaboratively in a high paced team environment. - Experience with deep learning frameworks (Pytorch, JAX, TensorFlow, etc.) - Experience with cloud computing to develop models, manage data, etc. (AWS, Azure, GCP) - Strong understanding of the state of the art research in robot learning (behavior cloning and reinforcement learning for manipulation, world models, etc.). - Understanding of the challenges of deploying neural network models in the real world. - Capable of writing high-quality software. - Thrive in fast-paced and ambiguous environments. - Strong first principles thinker. ## Preferred or Bonus Qualifications - An advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in computer science, robotics, machine learning, or another related field. - Published papers at top ML/Robotics conferences (ICML, ICRA, CoRL, RSS, NeurIPS). Our Internship Program At Persona AI, our internship program gives you direct, hands-on experience building cutting-edge humanoid robotics alongside industry experts. We offer full-time term opportunities across three upcoming cohorts: - Fall 2026: August – December - Spring 2027: January – May - Summer 2027: May – August As an intern, you’ll be paired 1:1 with a senior engineer mentor to accelerate your growth and guide your technical contributions. You will bond with your cohort through intern group lunches, gain cross-functional perspective during company-wide learning lunches, and unwind with fun team activities throughout the term. Whether you're working on advanced motion planning or real-world system testing, you'll tackle meaningful engineering challenges while immersing yourself in our collaborative startup culture. Application Review Process We evaluate applications as they are received rather than waiting for the posted deadline to pass. Positions for each cohort are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and the portal will close as soon as all available roles are finalized. To give yourself the best chance of securing a spot, keep these tips in mind: - Apply Early: Submitting your resume as soon as possible ensures your materials are reviewed before interview slots fill up. - Cohort Availability: Popular terms—especially Summer 2027—tend to reach capacity quickly. - Rolling Interviews: Interviews and candidate evaluations begin immediately upon application receipt. Persona AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. ## About Persona AI Inc ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Persona AI develops industrial humanoid robots designed for skilled physical work in complex environments like shipyards, construction sites, and energy infrastructure. - **Entity Type**: Private (Pre-Seed stage) - **Headquarters**: Houston, Texas, United States - **Founded**: 2024 - **Founders**: Nicolaus Radford (CEO), Jide Akinyode (COO), Dr. Jerry Pratt (CTO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Industrial Robotics, Humanoid Robotics, AI, Manufacturing, Construction, Energy, Shipbuilding - **Target customers**: B2B / Enterprise — heavy industrial sectors including shipbuilding, construction, energy (oil & gas, utilities), manufacturing, and defense. - **Mission or purpose statement**: To build industrial humanoid robots that perform skilled physical work in complex environments, addressing labor shortages, improving safety, and increasing operational efficiency across heavy industry. The company focuses on the "4D jobs" — dull, dirty, dangerous, and declining — so that humans don't have to perform them. ## Products & Services - **Persona AI Humanoid Platform**: A modular industrial humanoid robot designed for real-world applications in shipyards, construction sites, energy infrastructure, and manufacturing facilities. The system is engineered for skilled physical work in complex environments and supports tasks such as welding, grinding, inspection, material handling, fabrication, and equipment maintenance. The modular design allows integration with standard industrial tools and adaptation to different workflows. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total Funding — $30M (oversubscribed Pre-Seed round, closed June 2025) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Tides Ventures, Unity Growth Fund, POSCO DX, GOOSE Capital, SGH Capital, Embedded Ventures, and 19 other investors. Partners include Under Armour (performance materials), ABS (shipyard safety), and the State of Louisiana (pilot program at SSE Steel Fabrication). - **Growth Signals**: Headcount of ~65 employees (as of mid-2025) with a monthly growth rate of +3.9%. Active job postings have grown +13.3% monthly and +54.5% quarterly. The company has announced key hires including Brian Davis (Head of Global Manufacturing) and Michael Perry (Head of Commercial Strategy). It has secured a pilot program with the State of Louisiana and a partnership with ABS for shipyard applications. ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep domain expertise**: The leadership team has contributed to 15+ humanoid projects and published impactful robotics research, giving them a strong technical foundation. - **Modular, task-focused design**: The robot platform is built to integrate with standard industrial tools and adapt to different workflows, making it practical for real-world deployment rather than being a general-purpose humanoid. - **Early mover in a critical niche**: Persona AI is specifically targeting the skilled industrial labor gap in sectors like shipbuilding, construction, and energy, which face acute labor shortages and high demand for automation. - **Strong government and industry partnerships**: Early pilot programs with the State of Louisiana and a partnership with ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) demonstrate real-world traction and validation. ## Strategic Focus - **Productization and deployment**: Moving from R&D to deploying humanoid robots in real industrial environments, with a focus on welding, fabrication, and maintenance tasks. - **Scaling the team**: Aggressively hiring across robotics engineering, machine learning, mechanical design, and commercial strategy roles to build out the organization. - **Building commercial partnerships**: Establishing relationships with major industrial players (e.g., POSCO, HD Hyundai affiliates, Under Armour) and government entities to secure pilot programs and long-term contracts. - **Expanding use cases**: Targeting shipbuilding, construction, energy infrastructure, and defense as primary verticals. ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven work**: The company is tackling a tangible, high-impact problem — the skilled labor shortage in heavy industry — by building robots that perform dangerous, dirty, and physically demanding tasks. - **Strong technical team**: The leadership includes veterans from NASA, the robotics research community, and major defense/industrial companies. The CTO, Dr. Jerry Pratt, is a well-known figure in humanoid robotics. - **Early-stage growth**: As a 2024 startup with $30M in funding and a headcount of ~65, new hires can have significant impact on the product and company direction. - **Diverse, hands-on roles**: Open positions range from Welding Engineer and Robotics Technician to Machine Learning Engineer and XR Rendering Engineer, offering a variety of technical challenges. - **Houston-based**: Headquarters in Houston, Texas, with a growing international presence. The company appears to be on-site or hybrid given the nature of hardware development. - **Notable perks/culture**: The company emphasizes a "build" culture, with a focus on putting "tough humanoids to work." The team includes veterans from Anduril, Nauticus Robotics, and NASA, suggesting a high-caliber, mission-driven engineering environment. ## Sources 1. [persona.ai](https://persona.ai/) 2. [LinkedIn - Persona AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/persona-humanoids-at-work) 3. [CB Insights - Persona AI](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/persona-ai) 4. [Ashby Careers - Persona AI](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/persona.ai) 5. [Persona AI - The Team](https://persona.ai/the-team/) ## Other roles at Persona AI Inc - [AI Engineer – Robotics Data Preprocessing](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-engineer-robotics-data-preprocessing-persona-ai-inc-pensacola-fl-or-houston-mzny1g5jneke) — Pensacola FL OR Houston, TX - [Senior Assembly Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-assembly-technician-persona-ai-inc-houston-n7kt2xazhmpk) — Houston, TX - [Robotics Software Internship, Manipulation](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-software-internship-manipulation-persona-ai-inc-houston-3ymz9b7b5tm8) — Houston, TX - [Talent Acquisition Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/talent-acquisition-coordinator-persona-ai-inc-houston-27jreg4pv57e) — Houston, TX - [Senior Technical Recruiter – Advanced Manufacturing](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-recruiter-advanced-manufacturing-persona-ai-inc-houston-7xhsd3k6ym9r) — Houston, TX - [Senior Technical Recruiter - Humanoid Robotics Engineering](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-recruiter-humanoid-robotics-engineering-persona-ai-inc-houston-ze8sb651qkw5) — Houston, TX - [Controls Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/controls-systems-engineer-persona-ai-inc-houston-dwx4kw5d6sp5) — Houston, TX - [Senior Robotics Software Engineer - Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-robotics-software-engineer-autonomy-persona-ai-inc-houston-2qspy6cwd7jy) — Houston, TX - [Precision Assembler](https://feeny.ai/job/precision-assembler-persona-ai-inc-houston-b7h62z0a3b93) — Houston, TX - [Robotics Full Stack Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/robotics-full-stack-software-engineer-persona-ai-inc-pensacola-fl-or-houston-9n7bffpy4sfk) — Pensacola FL OR Houston, TX