Staff Research Scientist (AI)

TL;DR

Staff Research Scientist (AI/ML): Researching and developing world models and predictive simulations for game environments with an accent on latent state representations and agent training. Focus on building scalable simulations for automated game balancing, synthetic data generation, and language-conditioned game interactions.

Location: Must be based in the USA (based on 401k and US state legal disclosures)

Company

Riot Games is a global leader in game development dedicated to putting players first to create extraordinary gaming experiences.

What you will do

• Propose and implement world models that learn latent representations of game state, player behavior, and environment dynamics.
• Build predictive simulations to enable agent training and rapid design iteration without full server overhead.
• Develop methods for synthetic data generation and auto-balancing powered by learned environment models.
• Explore language-conditioned approaches combining LLMs with state estimators for new game interactions.
• Collaborate with game teams and AI/NLP researchers to ground research in real player experiences.
• Stay current with academic and industry advances in representation learning and environment modeling.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in ML, AI, Statistics, Math, or CS (or equivalent: MSc + 3 years or BSc + 6 years of experience).
• 2+ years of experience in deep learning or algorithmic foundations of optimization.
• Experience with generative models, representation learning, or model-based reinforcement learning.
• Proficiency in Python, C, or C++.
• Expertise with PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States.

Nice to have

• Experience building world models or latent-space simulators (e.g., Dreamer, MuZero).
• Familiarity with game engines such as Unity, Unreal, or Godot.
• Experience with GCP, AWS, or large-scale model training infrastructure.
• Demonstrated contributions to public research through publications or open-source projects.

Culture & Benefits

• Open paid time off policy and flexible work schedules.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and life insurance.
• 401k plan with company match.
• Parental leave for employees, spouses/domestic partners, and children.
• Collaborative environment focused on player empathy and craft expertise.