Machine Learning Scientist Intern (TikTok-Local Services) - 2027 Start (PhD)

About the role

TikTok Location Based Service Team's goal is to deliver user-facing products based on location that connect people with places, localized content, and services in the real world around the globe. We leverage POI data, geolocation, and large-scale location-based services (LBS) technologies to provide comprehensive LBS product and service capabilities for overseas businesses. This internship provides PhD students the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, shaping the organization's future plans and emerging technologies. The dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and professional development events, and collaboration with industry experts.

Responsibilities

• Work on ML models and algorithms to drive cutting-edge technical solutions bridging technical capabilities and real-world business impact, including POI data production, POI recommendation, reviews sentiment analysis and ranking, geocoding, and user profiling.
• Develop algorithmic strategies for geographical content and services, enhancing and optimizing Location-Based Services (LBS) capabilities to support international products.
• Analyze business intricacies, identify issues, and devise tailored algorithms and strategies for various problem domains.
• Continuously optimize performance and efficacy of solutions.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Able to commit to a 12-week internship during the Summer of 2027.
• Proficient in programming and algorithmic skills, with expertise in languages such as Python, Golang, or C++.
• Deep understanding of computer architectures, data structures, and algorithms.
• Experience with one or more machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, Caffe, MxNet, or PyTorch.
• Strong team communication and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience or domain expertise in POI (Point of Interest) data algorithms, NLP, recommendation systems, reviews sentiment analysis and ranking, NER, text mining, geocoding, or user profiling.
• Experience with big data, data warehouses, streaming data flow, or real-time data processing systems.

Benefits

• Day-one access to health insurance, life insurance, and wellbeing benefits.
• 10 paid holidays per year.
• Paid sick time (56 hours if hired in the first half of the year, 40 hours if hired in the second half).
• Eligibility for housing allowance (for interns not working 100% remote).

Pay

The hourly rate for this internship position is $60.