Senior Research Scientist (Neural Animation) in Vancouver

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. We are looking for a Senior Research Scientist to join our Animation research pillar and help pioneer the next generation of character animation technologies. Our goal is to build intelligent motion systems that will breathe life into future virtual characters.

This is an advanced research role: you will lead the charge in translating complex neural network architectures into in-game responsive runtime behaviors, crafting high-impact simulation and generative-motion models that turn academic science into practical, expressive creations. You need a genuine interest in video games paired with a critical understanding of how AI can be built for games, including the ability to form your own insights on how you can improve it.

You will partner with other researchers, engineers, artists, and designers. This is a hybrid role, 3 days a week at our office in Redwood City (California), Montreal or Vancouver (Canada) studio. The Senior Research Scientist will report to the Director of Research.

Responsibilities:

• Develop novel ideas by researching and implementing solutions to some of the most complex challenges in video game animation.
• Pioneer applied research in Generative Motion, conceptualizing breakthrough algorithms and use cases that deliver expressive, player-facing animations running seamlessly on local hardware.
• Build compelling demos that highlight novel solutions for character animation and locomotion with a focus on integration into modern game engine technologies.
• Share your impact by publishing your work in peer-reviewed conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR), contributing to open-source, and speaking at industry events.

Qualifications:

• A degree in Computer Science, a STEM field, or equivalent practical experience related to game animation.
• Experience with Generative Models, Computer Vision techniques (video segmentation, depth estimation, optical flow), Model training and inference.
• Experience turning ideas into functional prototypes or demos that showcase concepts in practice.
• Comfortable with development on Python and ML frameworks (PyTorch or TensorFlow), game engines (Unity, Godot, Unreal, etc) and experience with agentic frameworks.
• Combined experience 7+ years between graduate degree research (PhD, Masters) and professional/research experience.

We are a diverse, goal-driven team that offers real influence and autonomy to every member. Our ideal candidate is curious, open-minded, and thrilled by exploring fresh concepts and tailoring them for game development. If you are a passionate, creative, and communicative individual who is deeply invested in innovating across new domains of gaming, we want you on our team.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.