Dolby Laboratories

PhD Research Intern - Neuroscience + AI (Fall 2026)

Dolby Laboratories$129K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Current PhD candidate in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, or a related field.
  • Proficient in programming with Python or Matlab and experienced in signal processing and AI/ML frameworks.
  • Familiar with physiological signal acquisition, especially cardiac (ECG, PPG) and neurophysiological (EEG) measurements.
  • Experienced with machine learning algorithms, particularly in deep learning and transfer learning applicable to physiological data.
  • Knowledgeable in experimental design and data collection focusing on perception and physiological metrics.

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate on experiments measuring cardiovascular dynamics and autonomic physiology during media consumption.
  • Develop neural signature models using EEG for analyzing media stimuli and AI content features.
  • Create transfer learning strategies between neural signatures and consumer wearable physiological measures.
  • Build foundation models for representing physiological data generalizable across different contexts.
  • Implement models predicting user engagement states to optimize real-time media adaptations.
  • Develop AI systems integrating physiological signals with media content features to enhance user engagement.
  • Contribute to scholarly papers and presentations on AI-driven media systems.

Benefits

  • Gain hands-on experience in AI and physiological measurement research.
  • Work with top engineers and researchers in AI and neuroscience.
  • Enhance skills in experimental design and signal processing.
  • Contribute to groundbreaking research in personalized media experiences.
  • Collaborate on innovative media technology development.
Full Job Description
Multimodal Experiences Lab - Advanced Technology Group

We are seeking exceptional interns to join our cutting-edge research at the intersection of physiological measurement, computational neuroscience, and next-generation media experiences. You will have the opportunity to develop novel approaches to measuring user engagement through cardiovascular dynamics, neural activity, and other biosignal analysis to enable personalized, adaptive media content. As an intern, you will work closely with our team of researchers and scientists to advance the frontier of engagement-aware media systems that leverage AI and foundation models to adapt in real-time to user state and preferences derived from physiological data.

What are we looking for in candidates?

Along with your solid technical skills, candidates should demonstrate problem-solving and analytical abilities, good communication and collaboration skills, a curiosity for how and why things work as they do, and a passion for understanding human perception and engagement with media. You have a desire to bring in new ideas and are open to learning from others and working in a team environment focused on transforming the future of entertainment experiences through AI-driven physiological understanding.

You may succeed in this role if you are a PhD candidate in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, or related fields, and you are excited about bridging physiological measurement with AI and media technology to create more engaging and personalized experiences.

Example 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.


Requirements

  • 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.


Highly Desirable

  • 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.


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.


If you are passionate about understanding human engagement through physiological measurement and applying these insights to create more compelling media experiences, we encourage you to apply for this internship. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive work environment where innovation in human-centered technology thrives.

We will review applications on a rolling basis. For the best chance to have your resume reviewed and considered, we recommend submitting your application by June 26, 2026.

Eligibility

Working towards a PhD degree in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, computer science, or related field; recent graduates within six months of graduation are also eligible to apply. Must be available to work full-time, Monday to Friday, for 12 weeks between September - December, 2026.

The start date for this internship is as follows (please note these dates are not flexible):

  • September 21, 2026


The San Francisco/Bay Area base hourly range for this internship position is $62/hr and can vary if outside of this location. Our hourly ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific hourly range and perks and benefits for your location during the hiring process.

Dolby will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of San Francisco Police Code, Article 49, and Administrative Code, Article 12

About Dolby Laboratories

Dolby Laboratories, Inc. creates audio and imaging technologies that transform entertainment and communications at the cinema, at home, at work, and on mobile devices. The company develops and licenses its audio technologies, such as AAC & HE-AAC, a digital audio codec solution used for TVs, set-top boxes (STBs), personal computers (PCs), gaming consoles, mobile devices, and digital radio; AVC, a digital video codec with high bandwidth efficiency used in media devices; Dolby AC-4, an audio coding technology that delivers new audio experiences to a range of playback devices; and Dolby Atmos technology for home theaters, cinemas, device speakers, mobile devices, and headphones. Its audio technologies also comprise Dolby Digital, a digital audio coding technology that provides multichannel sound in the home; Dolby Digital Plus, a digital audio coding technology that delivers audio quality for streaming, downloaded, and broadcast content; Dolby TrueHD, a digital audio coding technology for content providers; Dolby Vision, an imaging technology for cinema, digital TV, and other consumer devices; and HEVC, a digital video codec with high bandwidth efficiency to support delivery of Ultra HD and other video content. In addition, the company designs and manufactures audio and imaging products, such as digital cinema servers, Dolby Cinema audio products, and other products for the film production, cinema, television broadcast, and entertainment industries. Further, it offers services to support theatrical and television production for cinema exhibition, broadcast, and home entertainment. The company serves film studios, content creators, post-production facilities, cinema operators, broadcasters, and video game designers. Dolby Laboratories, Inc. was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.
Learn more about Dolby Laboratories
Size
2,368 employees
Market Cap
$6.5 billion
Industry
Net Income
$317.8 million
Founded
1965
5 Year Trend
+3%
Revenue
$1.2 billion
NASDAQ

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