PhD Research Intern - Neuroscience + AI (Fall 2026) at Dolby… · San…

Summary: Dolby Laboratories is a leader in entertainment innovation, seeking a PhD Research Intern to join their Advanced Technology Group focused on the intersection of neuroscience and AI. The role involves developing novel methods for measuring user engagement through physiological metrics and advancing AI-driven media systems. Responsibilities: - Work collaboratively with our team to design and implement experiments measuring cardiovascular dynamics (heart rate variability, PPG) and autonomic physiology (EDA) during media consumption across different content types and viewing contexts - Develop EEG-based neural signature models for media components and events combining naturalistic media stimuli with AI-based content analysis - Create biosignal transfer learning approaches that establish robust mappings between high-fidelity neural signatures and accessible physiological measures from consumer wearable devices - Build foundation models for physiological data representation that can generalize across individuals, devices, and measurement contexts to enable scalable engagement prediction systems - Implement temporal engagement models to predict user state trajectories and optimize content adaptation timing for sustained engagement across diverse media experiences - Develop multimodal AI systems that integrate physiological signals, content features, and contextual information to predict and enhance user engagement in real-time media applications - Leverage large-scale physiological datasets to train foundation models that capture universal patterns in human engagement responses while preserving individual personalization capabilities - Contribute to the development of research papers, patents, and technical presentations advancing the field of AI-driven and engagement-aware media systems Required Qualifications: - Currently pursuing a PhD degree in neuroscience, computational neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, cognitive science, or a related field - Strong programming and prototyping skills in Python, Matlab, or similar languages with experience in signal processing, time-series prediction and analysis, and AI/ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) - Familiarity with physiological signal acquisition and analysis, particularly cardiac signals (ECG, PPG, HRV), electrodermal activity (EDA) and EEG measurements - Experience with machine learning techniques and algorithms, particularly deep learning, transfer learning, and foundation models applicable to physiological data and temporal modeling - Understanding of AI model development including data preprocessing, feature engineering, model training, and evaluation for biosignal applications - Understanding of experimental design, hypothesis testing, and collection of perceptual and physiological data in controlled settings - Analytical skills and the ability to manipulate, visualize, and extract meaning from complex physiological and behavioral datasets - Excellent communication and teamwork skills - Ability to work independently and take initiative on complex, interdisciplinary problems involving AI and human physiology Preferred Qualifications: - Experience developing foundation models or large-scale representation learning for physiological or biomedical data - Prior work with transformer architectures, state space models, self-supervised learning, or contrastive learning methods applied to time-series physiological data - Experience with real-time gaming/simulation engines such as Unity or Unreal for creating virtual experimental environments - Knowledge of multimodal AI systems that combine physiological, behavioral, and content-based signals - Prior work with EEG analysis, event-related potentials, or other neuroimaging techniques combined with AI interpretation methods - Understanding of wearable sensor technologies, their data characteristics, and approaches for handling sensor heterogeneity - Experience with edge measurement and ML deployment techniques for real-time physiological monitoring and engagement prediction - Background in human-computer interaction, user experience research, or media psychology with AI integration Required Skills: Python, Matlab, Signal processing, Time-series prediction, AI/ML frameworks, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Physiological signal acquisition, Cardiac signals, ECG, PPG, Heart rate variability, Electrodermal activity, EDA, measurements, Machine learning, Deep learning, Transfer learning, Foundation models, AI model development, Data preprocessing, Feature engineering, Model training, Model evaluation, Experimental design, Hypothesis testing, Data visualization, Unity, Unreal, Transformer architectures, State space models, Self-supervised learning, Contrastive learning, Wearable sensor technologies, Edge measurement, ML deployment, Human-computer interaction, User experience research, Media psychology Internship Start Date: Start in 2026 Fall Benefits: Gain hands-on experience in cutting-edge research combining AI, physiological measurement, and next-generation media technologies., Work alongside experienced engineers, researchers and scientists specializing in AI, neuroscience, perception science, network delivery and media systems., Develop skills in experimental design, multimodal data collection, advanced signal processing, and AI/ML applications to human physiology., Contribute to research that will shape the future of AI-powered personalized, adaptive media experiences., Collaborate with teams developing recomposable media platforms, content intelligence systems, and AI-driven rendering technologies.