Principal Research Engineer, 3D Gaussian Splatting

Ofinno • Reston, VA

5d

About The Position

As a Principal Research Engineer in the Advanced Media Lab, you will provide technical leadership in 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) coding for immersive media. You will define and drive high-impact technical directions from research framing to reproducible prototypes and rigorous evidence, translating innovations into standards-ready proposals and patentable inventions. This role is hands-on and implementation-aware, working closely with cross-functional stakeholders and external partners to deliver measurable gains in compression efficiency, quality, and complexity.

Requirements

• M.S. (EE/CS or related) with 10+ years of relevant research and/or product experience in compression, immersive media, 3D/graphics/vision, and/or learned representations.
• Prior delegate, editor, AHG/CE/JEE chair, or sustained active contributor experience in MPEG immersive media and/or 3D representation coding.
• Deep understanding of compression fundamentals and strong expertise in at least one of: 3D representations, neural rendering, point clouds, or view synthesis pipelines, or learned representation coding.
• Hands-on experience with MPEG V-PCC and/or G-PCC implementations and/or tool development.
• Proven ability to set technical direction, make sound architectural decisions, and drive execution through measurable outcomes.
• Strong implementation skills: C/C++ for performance-critical prototypes and pipelines; Python for experimentation is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to represent the company in standards meetings and industry events.
• Track record of technical impact through peer-reviewed publications, patents, and/or standards contributions.

Nice To Haves

• Ph.D. (EE/CS or related) with 10+ years of relevant research and/or product experience in compression, immersive media, 3D/graphics/vision, and/or learned representations.
• Hands-on experience in point cloud / volumetric / neural representation coding workflows and evaluation (datasets, metrics, streaming constraints).
• Experience driving industry-facing integration or enablement (e.g., reference pipelines, reproducible tooling, or deployment-oriented performance work).
• Familiarity with the patent filing process and collaborating with patent attorneys.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive high-impact 3DGS coding directions, setting technical priorities across multiple workstreams and aligning execution across the team.
• Lead end-to-end design and evaluation of coding approaches for 3DGS representations (e.g., representation design, parameterization, quantization, entropy/context modeling, progressive transmission, complexity reduction), including tool interactions and system-level tradeoffs.
• Establish and enforce rigorous experimental methodology and benchmarking (rate–distortion, quality metrics, complexity/latency/memory), including ablations, cross-check readiness, and reproducibility standards.
• Drive external-facing technical output: author and shape proposals, defend results, and align test conditions/baselines with collaborators and standards bodies as needed.
• Invent and develop patentable solutions that improve efficiency and/or complexity, and support the full IP process - from invention disclosure through filing.
• Mentor and develop team capabilities through technical coaching, code reviews, and raising the bar on research/engineering best practices.
• Improve shared infrastructure and baselines (pipelines, scripts, datasets, configs, regression testing) to increase reliability and velocity across 3DGS coding research.

Benefits

• 401(K) matching -- We help you plan and save for retirement with a 401(K) matching program that’s available on day one.
• Free healthcare plans -- Ofinno covers full premiums for you are your family on select healthcare plans, including employer HSA contributions if applicable.
• Free Food -- Our kitchen is always fully stocked, including lunch, protein bars, fruit, sodas, coffee, and tea.
• Unlimited Paid Time Off -- Our lives are enriched by family time, vacations, and personal time. We offer unlimited paid time off and sick leave.
• On-campus gym -- Unwind, reduce stress and feel great – even when you’re at work.
• Other benefits, too long to list -- Please discuss with our great People Ops team about additional benefits offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal