Research & Development Intern-LLM, Summer 2026
Apply Now Apply Later Job ID 10142456 Location Glendale, California, United States Business Walt Disney Imagineering Date posted Feb. 27, 2026Job Summary:
About our Program: Magic is Within You
Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) is the master planning, creative development, design, engineering, production, project management, and research arm of The Walt Disney Company’s (TWDC) Parks and Resorts business segment. Representing more than 150 disciplines, the talented corps of Imagineers are responsible for the creation of Disney resorts, theme parks and attractions, hotels, water parks, real estate developments, regional entertainment venues, cruise ships and new media technology projects.
As part of The Walt Disney Company, Disney Research builds upon a rich legacy of innovation and technology leadership in the entertainment industry that continues to this day. One area of work focuses on building generative AI-powered tools for Imagineers that will make their work more efficient and impactful. Our current project investigates the capabilities of large language models and agent workflows. We’re seeking a lab associate who can help explore the evaluation of such systems for Imagineering teams. We’re particularly interested in benchmarks and evaluation metrics for conversational agents in which the success of the agent-user interaction is based on a subjective judgement. Our work environment is research-focused and prototype-driven: we are constantly looking for the thing we can test out that will give us the most insight into our biggest unknowns.
A Reseach and Development Internship generally runs three to four months, although exceptions are made when necessary.
Responsibilities
- Help design and develop custom evaluation metrics for LLM and agentic systems
- Verify those new metrics on existing datasets
- Assist in design and setup of experimental data collection efforts for new datasets
- Validate human perception of said custom metrics, using existing datasets or designing playtests to collect perceptions.
- Document and develop software for running the custom eval metric(s) in larger systems
- Understand and engage with the broad technical and creative goals of the project
- Help define milestones that solve important technical issues and convey the potential impact of the project
- Engage in team brainstorms and troubleshooting
Requried Qualifications & Skills
- Experience with LLMs
- Experience with agentic systems
- Experience with LLM evaluation metrics
- Python coding skills
- Previous experience with experiment design and data analysis
Preferred Qualifications & Skills
- Experience with Pytorch
Education
- Currently enrolled in a master’s program from an accredited college/university, earning a degree in Computer Science or Generative AI.
Areas of Study
- NLP, Generative AI, evaluation metrics
Eligibility Requirements & Program Information
- Be enrolled in an accredited college/university pursuing a degree taking at least one class at time of application posting OR currently participating in a Disney College Program or Disney Internship
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Possess unrestricted work authorization
- Have not completed one year of continual employment on a Disney internship or Disney College Program
Additional Information
- Able to have a consistent, reliable work schedule throughout the internship
- Fully available from Monday through Friday for the duration of the internship, 40 hours each week
- Able to provide own housing for the duration internship program in the Glendale, CA area
- Able to provide/have reliable transportation to/from work
The pay rate for this role in Glendale, CA is $47 per hour for graduate level. Select benefits may be provided as part of the compensation package, such as medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered. To learn more about our benefits visit: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.
About Walt Disney Imagineering:
Founded in 1952 as WED Enterprises to design and build the world’s first theme park — Disneyland — Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) is where imagination and creativity combine with cutting-edge technology to create unforgettable experiences. WDI is the creative force that imagines, designs and builds all Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions and cruise ships worldwide. Imagineering’s unique strength comes from its diverse global team of creative and technical professionals, who build on Disney’s legacy of storytelling to pioneer new forms of entertainment. The Imagineers who practice this unique blend of art and science work in more than 100 disciplines to shepherd an idea all the way from “blue sky” concept phase to opening day.
About The Walt Disney Company:
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.
This position is with WDI Research & Development, Inc., which is part of a business we call Walt Disney Imagineering.
WDI Research & Development, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.
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