PhD Research Intern, Generative AI - 2026
At a glance
Junior AI Engineering role at NVIDIA. US, CA, Santa Clara · full-time.
Pay not stated AI Engineering salary
aimlroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Investigate generative AI, multimodal foundation models, world models and embodied AI
- Create methods for video generation and understanding, action-driven simulation, multimodal reasoning and policy learning
- Train and assess large models with video, image, language and robotics or autonomous-driving data
- Work with AI, robotics, simulation and graphics researchers and engineers, then publish findings and move advances into products
What you bring
- You are pursuing a doctorate in computer science, electrical engineering, robotics or a related area
- You bring research experience and prior publications, plus a strong grounding in a listed AI field
- You can build research workflows with Python and PyTorch
Who this fits
This internship suits a doctoral researcher focused on generative AI, multimodal learning, computer vision, robotics or reinforcement learning. It is listed as a junior-level, full-time internship in the United States.
From the employer
At NVIDIA, we are building Cosmos world foundation models and generative AI systems for Physical AI across robotics, autonomous driving, smart spaces, and embodied agents.
The NVIDIA Cosmos Platform enables multimodal world understanding, simulation, synthetic data generation, and embodied reasoning. We are looking for outstanding PhD interns to help advance the frontier of Physical AI and world models.
What you’ll be doing:
Conduct research in generative AI, multimodal foundation models, world models, and embodied AI.
Develop algorithms for video understanding/generation, action-conditioned simulation, multimodal reasoning, and policy learning.
Train and evaluate large-scale models using video, image, language, and robotics or autonomous driving data.
Collaborate with researchers and engineers across AI, robotics, simulation, and graphics teams.
Publish research at top conferences and transfer innovations into NVIDIA products.
What we need to see:
Currently pursuing a PhD in CS, EE, Robotics, or related fields.
Strong background in generative AI, computer vision, multimodal learning, robotics, or reinforcement learning.
Prior publication record and research experience.
Strong Python and PyTorch skills.
Ways to stand out from the crowd:
Experience with large-scale foundation model training.
Research in video models, VLMs, world models, robotics, or autonomous driving.
Experience with distributed training, simulation, or embodied AI.
NVIDIA is widely considered to be one of the technology world’s most desirable employers. We have some of the most forward-thinking and hardworking people in the world working for us. If you're creative and autonomous, we want to hear from you!
Our internship hourly rates are a standard pay based on the position, your location, year in school, degree, and experience. The hourly rate for our interns is 38 USD - 94 USD.You will also be eligible for Intern benefits.
Applications for this job will be accepted at least until October 16, 2026.This posting is for an existing vacancy.
NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.
NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.