Research Scientist Intern (TikTok - Content Ecology - Local Services) - 2027 Start (PhD)

Responsibilities

The Content Ecology Algorithm Team drives TikTok's AI innovations in LLMs/MLLMs, NLP, Computer Vision, Multimodal learning, Agentic AI, and recommendation algorithms. We develop cutting-edge AI capabilities that power multiple business lines.

You will tackle unique algorithm challenges in building products for a global audience. Our platform's diverse content and worldwide user base create a wealth of opportunities for AI applications. With rapidly growing businesses such as TikTok Local Services, you'll have the chance to bring cutting-edge AI innovations into real-world production.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. PhD internships at Our Company provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, as well as to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies.
Our dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and professional development events, and collaboration with industry experts.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Please clearly state your availability in your resume (Start date, End date).

Responsibilities:
- Conduct research and drive end-to-end deployment of innovative solutions that apply LLMs/MLLMs and agentic systems to global multimodal content understanding and representation.
- Explore conversion prediction and RL methods for creator and user behavior modeling, and ship innovations to production.
- Investigate agentic self-iteration paradigms for autonomous model evolution.
- Track cutting-edge AI progress, rapidly validate hypotheses, and translate state-of-the-art insights into production-grade systems.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning or a related technical discipline.
- Solid foundational understanding of modern machine learning theory and applications, with hands-on experience working with LLMs/MLLMs or agentic systems.
- Strong analytical thinking to formulate research hypotheses, design experiments and evaluate model behaviors.
- Proficiency in common ML frameworks and strong coding skills (Python/C++ preferred).

Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in LLM post-training, agentic AI, reinforcement learning, reward modeling, combinatorial optimization or CTR/CVR/Uplift modeling.
- Top tier publication, preprint, or open-source project experience in LLMs/MLLMs, NLP, CV, search, recommendation, or ads.
- Proficiency in Python/C++ preferred.

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

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

The Content Ecology Algorithm Team drives TikTok's AI innovations in LLMs/MLLMs, NLP, Computer Vision, Multimodal learning, Agentic AI, and recommendation algorithms. We develop cutting-edge AI capabilities that power multiple business lines.

You will tackle unique algorithm challenges in building products for a global audience. Our platform's diverse content and worldwide user base create a wealth of opportunities for AI applications. With rapidly growing businesses such as TikTok Local Services, you'll have the chance to bring cutting-edge AI innovations into real-world production.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. PhD internships at Our Company provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, as well as to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies.
Our dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and professional development events, and collaboration with industry experts.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Please clearly state your availability in your resume (Start date, End date).

Responsibilities:
- Conduct research and drive end-to-end deployment of innovative solutions that apply LLMs/MLLMs and agentic systems to global multimodal content understanding and representation.
- Explore conversion prediction and RL methods for creator and user behavior modeling, and ship innovations to production.
- Investigate agentic self-iteration paradigms for autonomous model evolution.
- Track cutting-edge AI progress, rapidly validate hypotheses, and translate state-of-the-art insights into production-grade systems.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning or a related technical discipline.
- Solid foundational understanding of modern machine learning theory and applications, with hands-on experience working with LLMs/MLLMs or agentic systems.
- Strong analytical thinking to formulate research hypotheses, design experiments and evaluate model behaviors.
- Proficiency in common ML frameworks and strong coding skills (Python/C++ preferred).

Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in LLM post-training, agentic AI, reinforcement learning, reward modeling, combinatorial optimization or CTR/CVR/Uplift modeling.
- Top tier publication, preprint, or open-source project experience in LLMs/MLLMs, NLP, CV, search, recommendation, or ads.
- Proficiency in Python/C++ preferred.

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