Research Engineer – Learning-Based Animation & Simulation

JR United Kingdom; London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in AI and simulation is seeking a Research Engineer to innovate humanoid and robotic interactions. This role offers the opportunity to work with cutting-edge techniques in a collaborative environment, perfect for self-motivated engineers eager to tackle complex challenges. Join a hybrid-first team in London with potential for remote flexibility.

Benefits

Competitive salary with meaningful equity

Hybrid-first culture with remote flexibility

Relocation support for exceptional candidates

Qualifications

• Proven experience in reinforcement learning.
• Strong coding ability in Python.
• Comfortable working with simulation environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and train RL-based control policies for characters.
• Experiment with generative methods for motion synthesis.
• Build robust systems on modern simulation engines.

Skills

Reinforcement learning for control, robotics, or animation

Python programming

Familiarity with simulation environments

Generative methods

Tools

Isaac Sim

MuJoCo

Unity

PyBullet

Job description

Social network you want to login/join with:

Research Engineer – Learning-Based Animation & Simulation, London

Client:

Search Technology

Location:

London, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

EU work permit required:

Yes

Job Views:

5

Posted:

31.05.2025

Expiry Date:

15.07.2025

Job Description:

Location: London (hybrid strongly preferred); remote in EU possible for exceptional candidates

Type: Full-time

Seniority: Open from postdoctoral level to senior/staff level

About the Position

Our client is reimagining how virtual agents move, behave, and interact. By combining real-time simulation, reinforcement learning, and generative models, they’re building a new foundation for intelligent animation in digital worlds; from characters to physically grounded agents.

This isn’t just an ML research role - you’ll be implementing novel algorithms, working directly in simulation, and tuning systems that will run in production pipelines. We’re looking for engineers who thrive in high-agency environments and want to push the edge of embodied intelligence.

What You'll Do:

• Develop and train RL-based control policies for humanoid or robotic characters in simulation
• Experiment with generative methods for motion synthesis, behaviour blending, and skill composition
• Build robust systems on top of modern simulation engines (Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, Unity, etc.)
• Implement new research ideas from papers, then go further and make them work
• Work closely with a small, tight-knit team of engineers and researchers shipping iterative prototypes

Experience Required:

• Proven experience in reinforcement learning for control, robotics, or animation
• Strong coding ability in Python and comfort with performance-aware development
• Familiarity with simulation environments (Isaac Sim/Lab, MuJoCo, Unity, PyBullet)
• Curiosity for generative methods (VAEs, diffusion, trajectory priors)
• Strong grasp of research from groups like Levine, Peng, Abbeel, Finn, or Mordatch
• Comfortable working across both high-level ML and low-level physics code
• Self-motivated, fast learner, collaborative mindset

Bonus Experience (Nice to Have)

• Experience with character animation pipelines
• Unity engine or game dev familiarity
• Experience deploying models in real-time or latency-sensitive environments

Why Join

• Join an early team building tech with massive creative and technical potential
• Tackle some of the hardest problems at the intersection of AI, physics, and animation
• Work in a culture that values speed, autonomy, and deep technical craft
• Competitive salary + deep equity with meaningful upside
• Hybrid-first culture in London, with remote flexibility for exceptional contributors

** Relocation support/sponsorship is viable for exceptional candidates who intend to relocate to London **