Principal Research Scientist

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?

At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.

Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.

ENGINEERING - SPECIAL PROJECTS

What We Do

The Special Projects team at Epic is responsible for executing high-impact projects that push the envelope to define the future of real-time graphics and gaming technology (The Matrix Awakens, Lumen in the Land of Nanite). In collaboration with the Unreal Engine team, we strive to put our technology and knowledge into the hands of users, empowering developers and content creators with the most powerful suite of real-time tools in the world.

What You'll Do

The Epic Games Research & Development team seeks an experienced, hands-on research scientist. The ideal candidate will bring a passion for applied ML/AI related to graphics, computer vision, and character interaction. Epic Games creates and deploys advanced computer vision, computer graphics, and machine learning technologies to transform the production and consumption of digital media. These include physics-based simulation, ML-based character animation, neural and inverse rendering, and automated generative animation techniques, among others. At Epic R&D, we research, develop, and deploy such technologies for Epic’s Unreal Engine and other Epic Products.

In this role, you will

• Investigate, develop novel ideas, and expand the boundaries of the state-of-the-art in research. Research contributions include publishing and presenting academic papers at top conferences and journals
• Contribute deep expertise and actionable knowledge in collaboration with other researchers and engineers at Epic Games. Tech transfer will typically involve working with Research Engineers and Software Engineers to provide expert technical guidance and implementation
• Guide and mentor junior researchers and students in the internship program
• Research and prototype novel capture and reconstruction systems learning for next-generation high-fidelity interactive characters
• Collaborate with the R&D team to design and capture datasets to advance the state-of-the-art in data-driven digital human models
• Work with development engineers and product engineers to deploy and productize novel technology in Epic products
• Engage with the scientific community, publish at top-tier locations, and contribute domain knowledge and advice to support strategically relevant R&D efforts

What we're looking for

• PhD degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, Language Technologies, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related discipline
• Proven research impact demonstrated through well-cited publications in top-tier conferences or journals
• Strong analytical and reasoning skills with an emphasis on innovative and practical solutions
• Excellent programming skills with a preference for experience with Python and C++
• Experience working in common ML frameworks such as PyTorch or Tensorflow and rapid prototyping in Python
• In-depth knowledge in one or more of the following areas: real-time graphics, computer vision, machine learning, large-language models, animation, speech recognition, speech synthesis, linguistics, performance capture, and 3D reconstruction

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE

Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.

ABOUT US

Epic Games spans across 25 countries with 46 studios and 4,500+ employees globally. For over 25 years, we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.

Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.

Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.