At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.
Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.
The Special Projects team at Epic is responsible for executing high-impact projects that push the envelope to define the future of real-time graphics and gaming technology (The Matrix Awakens, Lumen in the Land of Nanite). In collaboration with the Unreal Engine team, we strive to put our technology and knowledge into the hands of users, empowering developers and content creators with the most powerful suite of real-time tools in the world.
MACHINE LEARNING RESEARCH INTERNSHIP AT EPIC GAMESWhat You'll DoEpic Games is looking for current PhD students and recent PhD or MSc graduates (within 12 months of graduation) for paid, 6-12 month research internships with our Special Projects & Epic Research Group. You will work with our team of research scientists and engineers at the intersection of vision, language, speech processing and game development to create machine learning models in a range of areas to support game developers and improve user experience.
In this role, you will- Create machine learning models in areas including player safety, game agents (e.g. AI-backed characters, VLA agents), world/scene and game logic generation, developer tools, and improved user experience
- Work alongside our team of research scientists and engineers on applied research problems
- Own data analysis and data creation, supported by an internal team of labellers
- Design, implement, and experiment with models end to end
- Gain exposure to engineering work around deploying models at scale
- An ongoing or recently completed (within the last 12 months) PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, AI or a related field - recent MSc graduates in the same fields will also be considered
- Experience building models or algorithms in computer vision, natural language processing, or speech/audio/acoustic processing
- Hands-on knowledge of modern deep learning methods, such as Transformers, LLM fine-tuning, and diffusion models
- Strong coding skills in Python and the standard ML stack (PyTorch, NumPy, SciPy, scikit-learn)
- Desirable: Game dev experience in either C++ or C# (including personal projects)
- Duration: 6-12 months, with flexible start dates throughout 2026/2027
- Hours: full-time (40 hours/week) or part-time (20 hours/week)
- Location: Select regions within the UK, US or Canada
- Employment Authorization: You must hold an existing right to work in the UK, US or Canada for the full duration of the internship - Visa sponsorship or support is unavailable for this role
This internship has a flexible start date in 2026/2027. Recruitment will be ongoing until teams find an ideal match. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the posting location for the duration of the internship. For more information about Epic’s Early Career Program, visit epicgames.com/earlycareers. This is going to be Epic!
Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.
Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.
Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.
Skills Required
- Ongoing or recently completed (within 12 months) PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, AI or related field (recent MSc graduates considered)
- Experience building models or algorithms in computer vision, natural language processing, or speech/audio/acoustic processing
- Hands-on knowledge of modern deep learning methods such as Transformers, LLM fine-tuning, and diffusion models
- Strong coding skills in Python and the standard ML stack (PyTorch, NumPy, SciPy, scikit-learn)
- Existing legal right to work in the UK, US or Canada for the full duration of the internship (visa sponsorship unavailable)
- Game development experience in C++ or C# (including personal projects)
Epic Games Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Epic Games and has not been reviewed or approved by Epic Games.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as comprehensive—often free—and includes medical, dental, vision, and access to therapy sessions. Feedback suggests these offerings are a standout element of the overall package.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Stock options and sizable bonuses are highlighted as meaningful parts of total compensation, with some describing pay as unmatched. Feedback suggests equity and incentives materially enhance perceived compensation.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous time off, paid holidays, and sabbaticals are referenced alongside improvements in work-life balance. Feedback suggests paid leave breadth helps offset demanding periods.
Epic Games Insights
What We Do
Founded in 1991, Epic Games is an American company founded by CEO Tim Sweeney. The company is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, and has more than 50 offices worldwide. Today Epic is a leading interactive entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology. Epic operates one of the world’s largest games, Fortnite, and Epic has over 600 million accounts with over 5 billion friend connections across Fortnite, Fall Guys, Rocket League, and the Epic Games Store. Epic also develops Unreal Engine, which powers the world’s leading games and is also adopted across industries such as film and television, architecture, automotive, manufacturing, and simulation. Through Unreal Engine, Epic Games Store, and Epic Online Services, Epic provides an end-to-end digital ecosystem for developers and creators to build, distribute, and operate games and other content.
