Job Specifications
Responsibilities
Team Introduction
Global E-Commerce Content Recommendation team plays a central role in the company, driving critical product decisions and platform growth. The team is made up of machine learning researchers and engineers, who support and innovate on production recommendation models and drive product impact. The team is fast-pacing, collaborative and impact-driven.
We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. PhD Internships at TikTok aim to provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies.
PhD internships at TikTok provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies. Our dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and development events, and collaboration with industry experts.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).
Summer Start Dates
May 11th, 2026
May 18th, 2026
May 26th, 2026
June 8th, 2026
June 22nd, 2026
In This Role, You'll Have The Opportunity To
Build industry-leading recommendation system, improving user experience, content ecosystem and platform security;
Explore generative recommendation techniques, including Diffusion Models, prompt learning, and multimodal content generation, to unlock new capabilities in content discovery.
Build multi-model and cross-scenario systems enabling unified recommendation across livestreams, short videos, and search.
Deliver end-to-end machine learning solution to address critical product challenges;
Own the full stack machine learning system and optimize algorithms and infrastructure to improve recommendation performance.
Work with cross functional teams to design product strategies and build solutions to grow TikTok in important markets.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
Currently pursuing a PhD with a background in computer science, machine learning, or similar fields;
Good knowledge of theoretical and empirical research in addressing research problems;
Solid knowledge and experience with at least one popular deep learning framework (e.g., PyTorch,TensorFlow) and familiarity with deep neural network architectures.
Preferred Qualifications
Research experience in one or more of the following fields: applied machine learning, machine learning infrastructure, large-scale recommendation system, market-facing machine learning product;
Strong first-author publications record in top AI conferences or journals(e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, NAACL etc.);
Proficient in C/C++, Python, and shell programming languages, and have a deep understanding of data structure and algorithm design;
Internship experience in an AI research organization.
Privacy Statement
By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here: https://careers.tiktok.com/legal/privacy
Job Information
For Pay TransparencyCompensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $57- $57.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year). Interns who are not working 100% remote may also be eligible for housing allowance.
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
Exercising sound judgment.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity
About the Company
TikTok is the world's leading destination for short-form video. Our platform is built to help imaginations thrive. This is doubly true of the teams that make TikTok possible.
Our employees lead with curiosity, and move at the speed of culture. Combined with our company's flat structure, you'll be given dynamic opportunities to make a real impact on a rapidly expanding company as you grow your career. We have offices across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas – and we're just getting started.
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