PhD Research Intern

At Niantic Spatial, we're building the future of geospatial AI. Powered by a proprietary database of over 30 billion posed images and a groundbreaking third-generation digital map, our mission is to develop spatial intelligence that helps both humans and machines better understand, navigate, and engage with the physical world. Our high-fidelity mapping technology unlocks a new dimension of interaction—laying the foundation for AI to truly comprehend and operate within real-world environments. Join us as we build a living model of the world that people and machines can talk to.

Niantic Spatial's R&D Team in London is seeking a PhD Research Intern to push the frontiers of Spatial AI and work on Niantic Spatial's Large Geospatial Model (LGM). You will work as part of a fun team, to invent and develop novel algorithms and systems that sit at the cross-section of computer vision, machine learning, AI, graphics, and robotics. We're passionate about discovery, so we're looking for scientists who want to learn, publish, teach, and deploy every new invention.

*Timeline Note: The application window is open until the End of February 2026. Please note that the timing on when you can hear back will vary. The estimated time for the interview process is Late January - February 2026.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and deploy high-performance Computer Vision and AI algorithms
• Collaborate closely with researchers to bring novel models to production
• Solve emerging problems that relate to location-based AR, spatial intelligence, training data, 3D geometry, model efficiency, and interactive systems.
• Follow good software engineering practices: produce testable code, apply correct design patterns, and contribute to code reviews.
• Build proof of concept prototypes, initially for internal use, where some will need to scale to millions of users.
• Collaborate with cross-functional team members and stakeholders, including regular and reliable attendance and participation in meetings.
• Required in-office 3 days per week with 2 of those days being Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Job Requirements:

• Currently enrolled in a PhD in Computer Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning or a related field.
• Proficiency in Python and Deep Learning libraries such as Pytorch. Proficiency in C++ is preferred but not required.
• Knowledgeable and interested in core Computer Vision topics: Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), Feature-based Object Tracking, and Multi-view Geometry, Depth Estimation, 3D Scene Understanding, and rendering.
• Experience implementing, hardening, or optimizing algorithms like 3D Gaussian Splatting, dense depth computation, multi-view reconstruction, open-vocabulary scene understanding, multi-modal large language models, or learning-based mapping and localization models.
• Ability to follow guidance, independently explore possible solutions, and collaborate effectively through written and verbal communications.
• Published papers or active involvement in the research community (CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, ICRA, etc.).
• Previous internship and/or full-time experience in the field is preferred, but not required.

Compensation for this role is a stipend of £7,500 per month.

Niantic Spatial is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact your recruiter.

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