Senior Research Developer

Creative Innovation sits at the intersection of emerging technology, creative craft, and game-making, developing the tools, partnerships, and breakthroughs that help EA's studios create more ambitiously. We innovate shoulder to shoulder with game teams, pushing the boundaries of what's possible, and our work reaches players through the world's most beloved games.

We are looking for a Senior Research Developer to join our ML Agents program. You will use techniques like reinforcement learning and imitation learning to create real-time NPC behaviors and game AI bots, translating research into functional demonstrations that guide innovation for EA's games. The team has a track record, having deployed ML agents in FC26 and tested ML agents for the Battlefield franchise. We believe this approach is the future of in-game agents.

This is a hybrid remote/in-office role (3 days/week at the office) from our Vancouver, BC studio. You will report to the Pillar lead for Emergent Gameplay.

As a Senior Research Developer on the ML Agents program, you will:

• Develop novel ideas by researching and implementing solutions to some of the most complex challenges in video game AI, changing the way EA makes games.
• Contribute to applied research in areas such as Language Models, Reinforcement Learning, Imitation Learning, and agent reasoning. This includes proposing new use cases and algorithms for player-facing game AI agents, while targeting real-time, on-device performance.
• Build compelling demos that highlight novel applications of game AI agents, including NPC behaviors and game AI bots, with a focus on integration into modern game engine technologies.
• Collaborate directly with game studios to understand their AI needs and deliver agent solutions that work within their production pipelines.

We are looking for an open and curious person; someone who gets a kick out of taking new ideas, investigating them, and adapting their application to games.

Required Qualifications:

• A degree in Computer Science, a STEM field, or equivalent practical experience related to game AI.
• 8+ years of experience in software development, game development, or other relevant roles demonstrating the ability to build real-time game AI experiences.
• Strong experience with Reinforcement Learning, Imitation Learning, or other agent-based ML approaches.
• Experience turning ideas into functional prototypes or demos that showcase concepts in practice.
• Excellent programming abilities and ability to explain complex concepts.
• Experience with programming languages commonly used in game development and machine learning, including C++, C#, and Python.
• Working knowledge of game engines such as Unity, Unreal, Godot, or similar technologies.
• A genuine interest in video games paired with a critical understanding of how AI is built in games, including the ability to form your own insights on how you can improve it.

Desired Qualifications:

• PhD degree in Computer Science or a STEM field.
• Experience deploying ML models in shipped game titles or live production environments.
• Experience with publications in peer-reviewed conferences or journals.