Disney Looking for a Few Good Researchers

Here is an interesting, but slightly off the wall finding I recently came across.

Many of you might recall the not to long ago announcement that Disney was partnering with several colleges and research institutions around the world.  Well, if you’ve been waiting to find out more and think you have something to contribute, now might be your chance!

Disney has done two things on this initiative that have recently graced the web.

The first is the standup of the Disney Research website.  Granted it’s little more than a single page with a copy of the press announcement on it from back in August, but it’s something I guess.

The only reason I found this page however, is because in the last couple of weeks Disney has posted a job announcement on the disneycareers.com website under Imagineering.  Below I’ve copied the relevant bits, since I don’t know how long the announcement will be out there to link to.

Most of the areas they are looking for are generally what I’d expect, things like robotics, ops research, etc.  But there are a couple of surprises too. 

I mean, who would have thought that Mickey was into cryptography?  That kind of stuff tends to get left to guys like this 3 letter agency.  Trust me, they are smart people, but just a wee bit eccentric for the theme park and entertainment business…  (BTW, I’m not implying that Mickey is working with said 3 letter agency.  I doubt that honestly, it’s just such a strange oddity to me.)

Strange indeed.

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Research & Sr. Research Scientists & Postdocs

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City
Glendale

State
CA

Position Type
Full-time

Requisition ID
183511

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Research Opportunities at Disney Research, part of The Walt Disney Company

Disney Research, with research labs in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Zurich (see www.disneyresearch.com for additional information), invites applications from outstanding researchers at all levels in the areas of:

AI & Autonomous Agents

Audio Processing

Computer Graphics

Computer & Sensor Networks

Computer Vision

Cryptography & Information Security

Display Technologies

Distributed & Parallel Computing

Embedded Systems

Human-Computer Interaction

Machine Learning & Data Mining

Materials Science

Mobile Computing

Multimedia Content Management

Operations Research

Radios & Antennas

Robotics

Speech Recognition

Video Processing

Applications should include an area of specialization, a curriculum vitae, copies of representative papers, geographic preferences or constraints, and the names and email addresses of three or more individuals who have been asked to provide letters of reference.

Candidates are expected to be able to initiate and conduct their own research on topics of relevance to The Walt Disney Company. Full participation in the global R&D community is required through publication of results, collaboration with universities, and participation in professional service activities. Candidates should have a strong record of achievement in applied research, excellent academic credentials, and an earned Ph.D. in their area of specialization. Work experience in the entertainment industry is preferred but not required.

The Walt Disney Company is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from members of under-represented groups.