Research Engineer – Learning-Based Animation & Simulation

{ “@context”: “http://schema.org”, “@type”: “JobPosting”, “title”: “Research Engineer – Learning-Based Animation & Simulation”, “description”: “

Research Engineer – Learning-Based Animation & Simulation

Direct message the job poster from Search Technology

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 **

Seniority level

Seniority level
Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Employment type
Full-time

Job function

Job function
Information Technology, Research, and Engineering
Industries
Technology, Information and Media and Software Development

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Search Technology by 2x

Sign in to set job alerts for “Research Engineer” roles.

Greater London, England, United Kingdom 1 hour ago

Earth Observation Scientist – Coal Mine Methane

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 6 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 day ago

London, England, United Kingdom 9 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 5 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 11 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 3 hours ago

Research Scientist – Generative AI & Applications

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

AI Research Scientist (Sequential Decision Making)

London, England, United Kingdom 6 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 weeks ago

London, England, United Kingdom 11 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 2 months ago

Research Scientist – Generative & Applied Machine Learning

London, England, United Kingdom 5 days ago

London, England, United Kingdom 11 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London, England, United Kingdom 3 months ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 week ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 month ago

London, England, United Kingdom 1 day ago

London, England, United Kingdom $35,000.00-$46,000.00 2 weeks ago

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.

#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-04-11”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Search Technology”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__402690110__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=33” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “London” } } }

Company: Search Technology

Apply for the Research Engineer – Learning-Based Animation & Simulation

Location: London

Job Description: