PhD Intern – Recommendation Systems

Research Scientist Intern (Tik Tok Recommendation) | Tik Tok The  Tone:

This is a PhD internship at Tik Tok for a 2026 start, with a primary location likely in Los Angeles, CA given the specific local regulations mentioned. Tik Tok creates the leading global destination for short‑form mobile video, aiming to inspire creativity and bring joy. This role is within the recommendation algorithm team, which plays a central part in the company by driving critical product decisions and platform growth.

Interns actively contribute to products, research, future plans, and emerging technologies through a blend of hands‑on learning and collaboration.

• Role:
  Internship
• Type:
  Temporary
• Location:
  
  In‑person, Los Angeles, CA
• Pay: $60 hourly
• Team:
  Machine learning researchers and engineers within the Tik Tok Recommendation organization
• Mission:
  Innovate and support production recommendation models to improve user experience, content ecosystem, and platform security.
• Tech Stack: C++, Python, PyTorch, Tensorflow

• Build industry‑leading recommendation systems to enhance user experience, content ecosystem, and platform security.
• Deliver end‑to‑end machine learning solutions to address critical product challenges.
• Own the full stack machine learning system and optimize algorithms and infrastructure to improve recommendation performance.
• Work with cross‑functional teams to design product strategies and build solutions for growing Tik Tok in important markets.

• Background:
  PhD degree in computer science or a related technical discipline.
• Experience:
  
  Proficiency in Machine Learning, familiarity with at least one Deep Learning framework (e.g., PyTorch, Tensorflow), and experience in one or more of the following areas: NLP, CV, Recommender Systems, or Machine Learning.
• Skills:
  
  Proficient coding skills and strong understanding of algorithms and data structures using C++, Python, or other programming languages; effective communication and teamwork skills.
• Bonus:
  Authorship of published papers in accredited academic conferences or winners of algorithm and machine learning competitions such as ACM and Kaggle.