Skip to main contentA logo with &quat;the muse&quat; in dark blue text.

Research Scientist Intern (TikTok Recommendation - Core Feed) - 2026 Start (PhD)

AT TikTok
TikTok

Research Scientist Intern (TikTok Recommendation - Core Feed) - 2026 Start (PhD)

San Jose, CA

Responsibilities

About the Team
Recommendation algorithm 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 from August 2025 onwards. 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.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early. Successful candidates are expected to work with the team for at least 12 weeks during the internship

Want more jobs like this?

Get jobs in San Jose, CA delivered to your inbox every week.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy.


Responsibilities:
- Deploy, prompt, and optimize cutting-edge foundation models (eg. Large Language Models, LLM).
- Apply foundation models to enhance and optimize TikTok's recommendation system and product offerings, improving the experience of billion-scale consumers and creators.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, data scientists, and product engineers, to form and solve problems, refine machine learning algorithms, and communicate results.
- Regularly run A/B tests, perform analyses, and iterate algorithms based on results.
- Work with infrastructure teams on improving the efficiency and stability of machine learning systems.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:
- Currently pursuing PhD Degree.
- Hands-on experience in one or more of the following areas: Large Language Models (LLM), Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Recommender Systems, Data Mining, or Natural Language Processing
- Strong programming skills in Python and/or C/C++, and a deep understanding of data structures and algorithms
- Familiar with architecture and implementation of at least one mainstream machine learning programming framework (TensorFlow/PyTorch/MXNet)
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills, and a passion for learning new techniques and tackling challenging problems

Preferred Qualifications:
- Prior research/industry experience with deploying, prompting, and fine-tuning foundation models
- Prior research/industry experience with applied machine learning, or large-scale recommendation systems
- Publications at major AI-related conferences such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, IJCAI, ACL, NAACL, EMNLP, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, KDD, ICDM, SDM, RecSys, or simply on arXiv but with large impact
- Strong track record in AI-related competitions, or participation in public/open-source AI-related projects of high visibility

Client-provided location(s): San Jose, CA, USA
Job ID: TikTok-7519766495683053832
Employment Type: Intern

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.