Applied Scientist, Controllable GAIA

At Wayve we’re committed to creating a diverse, fair and respectful culture that is inclusive of everyone based on their unique skills and perspectives. Founded in 2017, Wayve is the leading developer of Embodied AI technology. Our advanced AI software and foundation models enable vehicles to perceive, understand, and navigate any complex environment, enhancing the usability and safety of automated driving systems. Our vision is to create autonomy that propels the world forward.

The role Science is the team that is advancing our end-to-end autonomous driving research. The team’s mission is to accelerate our journey to AV2.0 and ensure the future success of Wayve by incubating and investing in new ideas that have the potential to become game-changing technological advances for the company.

This role would sit within Science focusing on unlocking disruptive innovation that solves self-driving. We believe the next leap in autonomy won’t come from collecting endless real-world miles — it will come from simulating the world with unprecedented fidelity and generalisation. That’s where GAIA, our generative world model, comes in. As an Applied Scientist on the Science team, you’ll play a central role in developing the next generation of GAIA.

Key Responsibilities:

• Invent next-generation generative world models (diffusion, transformer, or hybrid) that deliver real-time, controllable rollouts.
• Architect controllable GAIA models where agents can step into the world, enabling reinforcement learning, planning, and safety evaluation.
• Define robust metrics for long-horizon coherence, physics fidelity, and planner integration; run ablations and scaling studies to understand trade-offs.
• Ship impact by integrating models with fleet-scale training, sim-to-real evaluation, and on-vehicle deployment.
• Mentor & influence: guide junior researchers, shape technical roadmaps, publish at top venues, and represent Wayve in the global research community.
• Challenge assumptions: propose bold ideas, run disruptive experiments, and question conventional approaches.

About You:

• Expertise in ML research/engineering with a focus on generative video, world models.
• Deep knowledge in diffusion & latent-video models.
• Experience working with high-dimensional temporal or spatial-temporal data (e.g., video, multi-sensor fusion).
• Strong Python and PyTorch engineering fundamentals, and experience building research-grade production tools.
• Strong publication record or contributions to open-source ML tooling.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, innovative, interdisciplinary team environment.

Desirable:

• Experience in AVs, robotics, simulation, or other embodied AI domains.
• Experience working with synthetic-to-real transfer.

Why Join Us:

• Work on transformative technology with real-world impact on mobility, safety, and AI.
• Access massive driving datasets, cutting-edge infrastructure, and world-class research talent.
• Be part of a high-trust, high-autonomy team that values creativity, experimentation, and deep thinking.
• Publish, share, and shape the future of generative AI for autonomy.

Wayve is committed to creating an inclusive interview experience. If you require any accommodations or adjustments to participate fully in our interview process, please let us know. We understand that everyone has a unique set of skills and experiences and that not everyone will meet all of the requirements listed above. If you’re passionate about self-driving cars and think you have what it takes to make a positive impact on the world, we encourage you to apply.