[Remote] Research Scientist Intern (TikTok Recommendation-Large Recommender Models) - 2026 Start (PhD)

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video, and they are seeking a Research Scientist Intern focused on advancing large-scale recommender systems. The intern will develop cutting-edge models to optimize recommendation accuracy and user engagement, collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance TikTok’s personalized content discovery.

Responsibilities

• Research and develop large-scale recommender systems for personalized, engaging user experiences, focusing on scalability, accuracy, and performance
• Apply advanced machine learning and deep learning techniques to optimize recommendation algorithms for TikTok’s diverse user base
• Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of recommender models, from training and fine-tuning to deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement
• Analyze complex data to uncover user preferences, behaviors, and trends, driving personalization and enhancing TikTok’s recommendation capabilities
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (infrastructure, product, research, etc.) to design and implement innovative solutions that improve the relevance and diversity of TikTok recommendations

Skills

• Current pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, or a related field
• Experience in one or more areas of recommender systems, machine learning, computer vision, or natural language processing
• Proficiency in programming skills, solid foundation in data structures and algorithms
• Strong familiarity with deep learning architectures such as transformers, CNNs, RNNs, LSTMs, etc
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams
• Experience in building large-scale recommender systems that handle vast, diverse datasets and complex user interactions
• Publications in top-tier venues such as RecSys, SIGGRAPH, CVPR, ICCV, ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, or similar conferences/journals

Benefits

• Interns have day one access to health insurance
• Life insurance
• Wellbeing benefits
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year)
• Housing allowance

Company Overview

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