Research Scientist, AI for Graphics and Gaming - New College Grad 2026
Company websitenvidia.com (NVIDIA, opens in new tab)
Base salary $168,000 to $264,500
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Santa Clara, CA
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationSanta Clara, CA
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (18 min ago) · observed since
About this job
We are now seeking a Research Scientist in Generative AI for Graphics and Gaming! NVIDIA is seeking world-class deep learning researchers to build the next generation of AI for graphics and gaming—from neural rendering and real-time image/video generation to world models, AI-driven characters, and LLM-powered game experiences. Join our Applied Deep Learning Research team, renowned for revolutionizing real-time graphics with powerful AI technologies like DLSS. You’ll have access to abundant GPU compute to explore ambitious ideas and train large models at scale.
We prioritize step-change research that delivers undeniable user experience improvements, not incremental benchmark gains. You’ll work across multiple organizations at NVIDIA to drive fundamental AI research all the way into shipping products used by millions of players. Our team pushes the limits of real-time graphics and interactive storytelling experiences using the latest advances in AI. If you’re passionate about deep learning, real-time graphics, and delivering transformative technology directly into games and graphics applications, you’ll be a great fit. In this role, you will conduct cutting-edge research, train advanced models, prototype in real-time engines, and work with product, driver, and hardware teams to bring your ideas to market.
What you'll be doing:
Research and develop AI models that improve real-time graphics quality, robustness, performance, and latency, and enable new interactive experiences such as world models, LLM-driven gameplay, and AI-driven characters.
Design and run large-scale pre-training and post-training for foundation models for graphics and gaming, using NVIDIA’s GPU infrastructure for experimentation and iteration.
Build and own data pipelines and datasets for foundation models and large-scale training, spanning synthetic data, in-engine captures, and real-world content.
Develop and prototype models for real-time image, video, and 3D content generation in modern game engines and graphics frameworks, and create demos that clearly showcase player-visible benefits.
Stay current on AI and graphics research and work with product, driver, hardware, engine, and platform teams to turn promising ideas into shipping, user-visible features.
What we need to see:
Pursuing PhD in Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
Deep learning experience in image/video generation, graphics, computer vision, or related fields, with a solid understanding of core DL fundamentals.
Hands-on experience training large models on multi-GPU clusters (hundreds to thousands of GPUs), building robust distributed training pipelines and debugging at scale, with strong proficiency in PyTorch required; familiarity with GPU architecture, CUDA abstractions, and efficiency techniques (e.g., distillation, pruning, low-precision training/inference) is a plus.
Background in graphics—such as rendering pipelines or game engines—and experience with generative models, neural rendering, or reconstruction is a plus.
Proven track record of impactful research and shipped ideas (e.g., leading publications, production features, or widely used tools), and strong communication and collaboration skills in cross-functional teams.
NVIDIA’s invention of the GPU 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics, and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI — the next era of computing — with the GPU acting as the brain of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can perceive and understand the world. Today, we are increasingly known as “the AI computing company”. Do you love the challenge of pushing what's possible in realtime interactive graphics and Generative AI? If so, we want to hear from you!
Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary range for this position is 168,000 USD – 264,500 USD.You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.
Applications for this job will be accepted at least until November 3, 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.Source: NVIDIA on Workday · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($168,000) is above 32% of the 1,729 Data & ML roles in California listed on this site; 12 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $184,000; the middle half runs from $154,000 to $224,000.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 8, 2026.
This listingResearch Scientist, AI for Graphics and Gaming - New College Grad 2026$168,000 to $264,500
L11 System Product Development Engineer$168,000 to $258,750
Senior Software Engineer, Network Visibility Platform - DGX Cloud$168K to $322K
Hardware Validation Procedures and Documentation Lead$168,000 to $258,750
Senior Software Engineer, Platform Engineering$168K to $322K
PhD Research Scientist, Fundamental Generative AI - New College Grad 2026$168,000 to $264,500
AI Engineering Manager - Finance$168K to $322K
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Research Scientist, AI for Graphics and Gaming - New College Grad 2026 (this listing) | $168,000 - $264,500 |
| L11 System Product Development Engineer | $168,000 - $258,750 |
| Senior Software Engineer, Network Visibility Platform - DGX Cloud | $168K - $322K |
| Hardware Validation Procedures and Documentation Lead | $168,000 - $258,750 |
| Senior Software Engineer, Platform Engineering | $168K - $322K |
| PhD Research Scientist, Fundamental Generative AI - New College Grad 2026 | $168,000 - $264,500 |
| AI Engineering Manager - Finance | $168K - $322K |
Observed changes
- First observed on the employer's board
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-10-30
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: US, CA, Santa Clara
base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and other objective job-related factors. The expected base salary range for this position is 168,000 USD – 264,500 USD.
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.
