Applied Deep Learning PhD Research Intern, Reinforcement Learning for LLMs - Fall 2026

Nvidia

Actively hiring
Santa Clara, US Posted 23 days ago
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At a glance

AI generated

TL;DR

Join our applied deep learning research team at NVIDIA as a PhD research intern to advance large language models through reinforcement learning. You will design and implement new RL-based methods, focusing on improving reasoning, alignment, instruction following, and multi-turn interaction in LLMs, while conducting hands-on experiments and rapid prototyping using Python and PyTorch on GPU clusters. Ideal candidates are pursuing a PhD with expertise in AI, ML, CS, CE, EE, Math, Physics, or related fields, strong backgrounds in reinforcement learning and NLP, and experience with deep learning frameworks like PyTorch. Additional qualifications include publications or open-source contributions in RL, LLMs, alignment, reasoning, and post-training techniques, as well as familiarity with RLHF, RLAIF, policy optimization, reward modeling, and agentic LLM systems.

Skills

Python PyTorch Reinforcement_Learning Natural_Language_Processing GPU_Clusters Large-Language_Models RLLHF RLAIF Policy_Optimization Reward_Modeling Agentic_LLM_Systems CI/CD

What you'll do

  • Develop and prototype reinforcement learning algorithms for large language models.
  • Explore methods to enhance reasoning, alignment, instruction following, and multi-turn interaction in LLMs.
  • Design experiments to assess model robustness, hallucination, and task performance.
  • Implement research ideas using Python and PyTorch on large-scale GPU clusters.
  • Evaluate the behavior of reinforcement learning-based methods for improving LLMs.

What we're looking for

  • Pursuing a PhD in AI, ML, CS, CE, EE, Math, Physics, or related field.
  • Strong background in reinforcement learning and natural language processing.
  • Excellent Python programming skills with experience in PyTorch.
  • Experience with experimental research and debugging models at scale.
  • Publications or open-source contributions in RL, LLMs, alignment, reasoning.
  • Comfortable working on large-scale GPU clusters for rapid prototyping.

Market check

Salary context

This listing doesn't show a salary. Similar roles on FindRole typically pay $175,815–$255,974.

Peer median band

$175,815–$255,974

Median floor and ceiling across peers.

Typical midpoint (25–75%)

$177,350–$248,375

Middle half of comparable postings.

Based on 240 comparable postings.

* 240 is the maximum number of comparable postings sampled.

Employer

About Nvidia

Nvidia is a leading designer of graphics processing units (GPUs) and system-on-chip units, powering gaming, professional visualization, data centers, and artificial intelligence workloads. Industry: Semiconductors & AI Computing

Nvidia currently has 801 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $184,000–$287,500 across 797 roles with salary data.

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