Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Embodied AI and Smart NPCs

Roblox • San Mateo, CA

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About The Position

As a Principal Machine Learning Engineer within the Creator Services Machine Intelligence team, you will focus on the research and development of Embodied AI and Behavioral Agents that revolutionize how games are created and played on Roblox. You will bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and massive-scale product application, building agents capable of complex 3D gameplay and unblocking many use cases across Roblox, from automated playtesting to ensure quality, to "Smart NPCs" with human-like movement and strategic reasoning, playing with real players in games. You will work on Imitation Learning (IL), Reinforcement Learning (RL), Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, Robotics, and Agentic Reasoning to create generalizable agents that can perceive 3D environments, understand game rules, plan long-term strategies, and execute complex physics-based actions. You Will: Report to the Engineering Manager of Creator Services Machine Intelligence. Design and implement foundation models for embodied agents that master both fluid, human-like movement and high-level strategic reasoning. Define the long-term roadmap for Game AI and Embodied Intelligence, acting as a technical bar-raiser for code quality and architectural design. Balance the exploration of cutting-edge deep learning research with the practical constraints of serving models to millions of concurrent users. Mentor fellow engineers and researchers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and scientific inquiry. Collaborate with Product Managers, Backend and Game Engine Engineers and other Roblox team members.

Requirements

• PhD or Master’s in Computer Science, Applied Math, or other field.
• 7+ years of experience as a Machine Learning Engineer or Research Scientist, applying research to tangible products.
• Deep technical understanding of Imitation Learning, Robotics, Reinforcement Learning, Computer Graphics and Vision, with experience working on low-latency motor control (human-like movement) and high-level strategic reasoning (game rules/goals).
• Proficiency in Python (PyTorch/TensorFlow) and familiarity with C#, C++, or similar systems languages.
• Experience training models on large-scale distributed clusters and understanding the challenges of inference in real-time gaming environments.
• A passion for bridging the gap between research and production, moving beyond academic benchmarks to launch scalable solutions that directly impact millions of users.

Nice To Haves

• A record of top-tier publications (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, AAAI, SIGGRAPH, etc) in embodied agents or related domains is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Report to the Engineering Manager of Creator Services Machine Intelligence.
• Design and implement foundation models for embodied agents that master both fluid, human-like movement and high-level strategic reasoning.
• Define the long-term roadmap for Game AI and Embodied Intelligence, acting as a technical bar-raiser for code quality and architectural design.
• Balance the exploration of cutting-edge deep learning research with the practical constraints of serving models to millions of concurrent users.
• Mentor fellow engineers and researchers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and scientific inquiry.
• Collaborate with Product Managers, Backend and Game Engine Engineers and other Roblox team members.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree