Machine Learning PhD Internship - Gameplay-focused Model - SEED

Machine Learning PhD Internship - Gameplay-focused World Model - SEED - 8 Months
Role

210831

Worker Type

Intern - Temporary Employee

Studio/Department

CT - SEED

Work Model

Hybrid

Description & Requirements
Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

Join EA’s world-class Intern Experience!  Connect, learn, and grow through immersive onboarding, hands‑on work, and curated events designed to help you thrive. Along the way, you’ll build skills, form connections with interns across the company, and have fun alongside future industry leaders. Learn more:
Early Careers - Official EA Site
SEED is a pioneering group within Electronic Arts that combines creativity with applied research. We explore, build, and help define the future of interactive entertainment.

We exist at EA to deliver and foster inspiring innovation for our games and our players. We do this through exploration, research, prototypes, and never‑ending curiosity. We collaborate with game teams and industry partners and also publish our research within our industry and to the public. We pursue long‑term applied research yet stay relevant to the present by delivering artifacts along the way to game teams and technology groups inside EA.

Some of our research includes bringing digital characters to life, using machine learning for game AI and content creation, and developing novel real‑time graphics & physics techniques.

We are looking for a PhD Intern to help explore the potential of Machine Learning research in World Models for video games. The intern will focus on discovering how unique gameplay data can be used to push new kinds of interactions through World Models.

As a PhD Intern, you will:

Test and evaluate recent papers and open‑source projects

Identify and define novel approaches and methods

Plan and build a proof‑of‑concept demonstration

Write a technical report and share insights by giving presentations to the team

As a diverse team with solid goals, we provide autonomy and true influence to each member of SEED. We are looking for an open and curious person who gets a kick out of taking new ideas, investigating them, and adapting their application to games. You desire to explore new areas of game development—someone who is passionate, creative, communicative, and invested.

Qualifications

Ongoing Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Graphics, Machine Learning, or any other relevant field.

Familiarity with World Models and their ML techniques.

General understanding of basic principles of game engines and/or game programming.

You care about video games as a medium.

If you want to be part of—and work with—some of the most incredible people in the field, then SEED is your team!

You must be available for a full‑time paid internship in the summer of 2026.

At this time, we are considering PhD students who will be enrolled in an accredited degree program in the summer of 2026, slated to graduate no earlier than December 2026. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in Canada on a full‑time basis during the 8‑month internship. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Please ensure that your graduation date is visible on your resume.

Pay Transparency - North America

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these states. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the base salary range and benefits for your specific location. EA has listed the hourly pay ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting.

Salary offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, degree type (e.g. Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD), what stage you are in your degree journey (i.e. freshman, sophomore, etc.), qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and…