Machine Learning Scientist Intern (TikTok-Recommendation) - 2027 Start (PhD)

About the Team

The Recommendation Algorithm team plays a central role in the company, driving critical product decisions and platform growth. The team consists of machine learning researchers and engineers who support and innovate on production recommendation models, delivering significant product impact. The environment is fast-paced, collaborative, and impact-driven.

PhD internships provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to products and research, shaping the organization's future plans and emerging technologies. The dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, community-building, professional development events, and collaboration with industry experts.

Responsibilities

• Drive the development of industry-leading recommendation systems that elevate user experience, strengthen platform safety, and empower a vibrant content ecosystem.
• Deliver impactful, end-to-end machine learning solutions addressing high-priority product challenges related to content understanding, LLMs, robustness, and fairness.
• Own and optimize the full-stack ML pipeline—from algorithm design to system infrastructure—to continuously push the boundaries of recommendation performance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to craft innovative product strategies and develop intelligent solutions that fuel growth in key global markets.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a PhD with a background in computer science, machine learning, or similar fields.
• Good knowledge of theoretical and empirical research in addressing research problems.
• Solid knowledge and experience with at least one popular deep learning framework (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and familiarity with deep neural network architectures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Research experience in one or more of the following fields: applied machine learning, machine learning infrastructure, large-scale recommendation systems, or market-facing machine learning products.
• Strong first-author publications record in top AI conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, NAACL).
• Proficient in C/C++, Python, and shell programming languages, with a deep understanding of data structures and algorithm design.
• Internship experience in an AI research organization.

Benefits

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

Pay

The hourly rate for this position is $60.