Research Scientist Intern (Data-TnS-Algo-Day Dreamer)- 2026 Start (PhD)
Responsibilities
DayDreamer (Foundation Models, Trust & Safety) is TikTok's foundation-model team responsible for core development and research that push the boundaries of our LLM and VLM capabilities-with native trustworthiness and safety built in from day one. Our work enables product teams and customers to adopt advanced AI smoothly and responsibly, with safety woven into the model stack rather than bolted on.
We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok.
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.
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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).
Responsibilities:
Pretraining & Continued Pretraining (CPT): Explore and develop approaches that improve general capability and safety for LLMs and VLMs via pretraining/CPT.
Evaluation & Measurement: Build advanced evaluation systems to study emerging LLM/VLM skills and safety behaviors, aligned with real downstream use.
Post-Training & RL: Develop advanced reinforcement-learning strategies (e.g., RLHF/RLAIF/DPO variants), and investigate how to balance pretraining and post-training for better capability and safety alignment.
Scaffolded Settings & Agents: Probe new failure modes and pitfalls in scaffolded environments (agents, workflows, tool use), and translate insights into robust mitigations.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- Currently pursuing an PhD in Computer Science or a related technical field.
- Research experience in at least one of: LLMs, AI Safety, Computer Vision, Multimodality.
- Actively track recent AI-safety developments (familiar with current papers, benchmarks, and terminology).
- Proficient with at least one deep learning framework (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
- Excellent analytical/problem-solving ability, clear logical thinking, and strong communication/collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Publications in top AI or Security venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, COLM, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, USENIX Security, ACM CCS, IEEE S&P, NDSS).
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
Perks and Benefits
Health and Wellness
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- HSA
- Life Insurance
- Fitness Subsidies
- Short-Term Disability
- Long-Term Disability
- On-Site Gym
- Mental Health Benefits
- Virtual Fitness Classes
Parental Benefits
- Fertility Benefits
- Adoption Assistance Program
- Family Support Resources
Work Flexibility
- Flexible Work Hours
- Hybrid Work Opportunities
Office Life and Perks
- Casual Dress
- Snacks
- Pet-friendly Office
- Happy Hours
- Some Meals Provided
- Company Outings
- On-Site Cafeteria
- Holiday Events
Vacation and Time Off
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Holidays
- Personal/Sick Days
- Leave of Absence
Financial and Retirement
- 401(K) With Company Matching
- Performance Bonus
- Company Equity
Professional Development
- Promote From Within
- Access to Online Courses
- Leadership Training Program
- Associate or Rotational Training Program
- Mentor Program
Diversity and Inclusion
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program
- Employee Resource Groups (ERG)
Company Videos
Hear directly from employees about what it is like to work at TikTok.