Constance
Policy Data Analyst — London
What brought you to Five?
I’m doing a PhD at the University of Oxford, looking at the impact of electric vehicles on the grid. My final year was coming up, and I was weighing up whether to stay in academia or enter ‘industry’. I wanted to do a research project for a company, to get perspective on that. The project that came up at Five tied in well with my doctoral research. I was initially drawn to the fact that it was ‘applied research’, and secondly within the area of policy. I felt I could add real value.
What have you been working on?
My PhD research is technically ‘technical engineering’ but, day-to-day, I look at lots of data on how people use cars. Working with Five, it felt like a natural extension to look at how people in Bromley and Croydon are using transport. I’ve been looking at proposed routes for the company’s self-driving service, and exploring whether there’s data that proves there’s demand for the routes. It’s been great to work on a self contained, dedicated project that I know is making a difference to Five.
What has that involved?
I’ve been analysing the routes and asking key questions. Which are the best routes? How frequently should they be served? Which should be priority routes? Census data has been particularly useful — it’s helped me identify where people live, how they commute to work, and routes many people are currently driving.
What have you learnt about policy?
I’ve learnt so much, but I’ve barely scratched the surface! I come from a pure science background, so it’s been eye-opening to see how science and tech fuse with social context, policy and business.
How has your time in ‘industry’ compared to the PhD?
When you start a PhD, you think the world is your oyster. Then you discover you’re just working on the tiniest fragment of the shell. It’s been hugely rewarding to see a bigger contextual snapshot, and to understand how I fit into the big picture.
Blaine
Software Engineer — Cambridge
What brought you to Five?
I’ve just finished a four year undergraduate degree with an integrated master’s at Imperial College London, with a Computer Science focus. I first arrived at Five in my third year — the internship was my industrial placement. I finished my master’s, and decided to join Five full time, partly based off my internship experience.
What have you been working on?
There are three core areas of architecture on the vehicle: perception, planning, and the controller. The controller takes a planned route and converts it into pedal presses, gear changes, and everything that needs to happen for the car to action that route. When I was interning at Five, I was working on the controller, assessing new frameworks, building models and testing. Now that I’ve returned, I’m working on perception. I’m still using my statistical modelling thinking, but applying it in a different area.
How’s it been?
I love it here — that’s why I’m back! When I first joined, the team was much smaller. It was still based in the Eagle Labs incubator in Cambridge, then we moved into a larger but empty office, and now the office is full. It’s been amazing to see everything from the start and to witness Five grow from a startup to a full scale business.
Can you describe a day in the life of your internship?
Get up, head to the office, work hard solving exciting problems with smart, humble people, head home, go climbing. And eating and sleeping too, of course.
How was the team?
Brilliant. I was one of the gang. That was surprising to me. I expected to be hidden away as an intern, but I was plugged right in. I even chatted with the CEO over lunch. At our All Hands in Bristol, I heard leaders from across the business outlining their strategies. And I was included in a massive group photo.
Why do you want to help make self-driving cars happen?
I was up in Edinburgh recently and was queuing to get on the plane. I looked out of the window, and there was a massive car park. I thought: the only reason that’s there is because we don’t have a shared self-driving vehicle service. There could be a park there instead. It’s the same story in London, where unused cars line the streets. We could have our pavements back, move around more easily, and make smarter use of the extra space.
Rugile
Research Engineer — Edinburgh
What brought you to Five?
I was studying at the University of Edinburgh, and was in the third year of my Computer Science undergrad when the internship came up. This year, my fourth and final, I’m writing my dissertation. I’m planning on doing it with Five — we’re working on the plans together right now.
What have you been working on?
I was working with Machine Learning, specifically Reinforcement Learning. I was designing experiments in the simulator, to enable the car to learn road maneuvers and behaviours. I was on a research team, so I’d spend a good chunk of time reading papers, then discussing them with other members of the team. We’d then go ahead and implement the best idea, seeing if we could take lessons from our readings. I also did some engineering work. The workflow was key. In general, we’d plan something in a two week sprint, experiment with it to see if we could make it useful, then gather insights and readjust our aims.
How was it?
I loved the work and learnt a lot — it was a great opportunity. The work was fulfilling and directly relevant to the company. I liked having an impact. I also admired the ambition of the business, and got on well with the team. The atmosphere is very inclusive. It was thrilling to see the company growing fast, and how excited everyone is. The new Edinburgh office is awesome, too.
What did you make of Five?
Everyone is so energetic, and so excited about what’s happening in the company. That’s incredible to be around. I also respected how honest and outspoken people were. The executive team really listen to everyone. It felt very democratic.
What was the biggest surprise?
The pace of growth. So, so fast!
What’s next?
My dissertation, which I’m working on with Five while also working at the company a couple of days per week. I’m so pleased to be able to keep collaborating with everyone here.
What would you want to see in a self-driving car service?
I’d need to be able to share my ride with others, the Five way. It makes financial sense for the user, and ecological sense for the planet.
Interested in interning at Five?
We offer 10 week, 6 month and 12 months internships. If you want to join us, please apply now. We’re holding our next round of face-to-face interviews the week beginning 5th November. Apply directly for our Bristol and Cambridge roles, or feel free to email talent@five.ai
