Research Scientist in Vision Foundation Model - Seed - Graduates - 2027 Start (PhD

Research Scientist in Vision Foundation Model
- Seed
- Graduates - 2027 Start (PhD)

Location:

San Jose

Team:
Technology

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Code: A141534B

The Seed Vision team focuses on foundational models for visual generation, developing multimodal generative models, and carrying out leading research and application development to solve fundamental computer vision challenges in GenAI.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop and scale vision foundation models across image and video modalities.
• Design data pipelines, pre-training strategies, and post-training methods for vision tasks.
• Improve core capabilities such as perception, reasoning, and multimodal understanding.
• Optimize model architectures, training efficiency, and evaluation frameworks.
• Explore real-world applications of vision models in multimodal systems.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a PhD in computer science, mathematics, engineering, or a related field, with an expected graduation date in 2027 and the ability to commit to an onboarding date by the end of 2027.
• Excellent coding ability, data structures, and fundamental algorithm skills, proficient in C/C++ or Python, etc.
• Experience with computer vision, multimodal learning, or large-scale model training.
• Strong understanding of deep learning architectures and training methodologies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven research experience through impactful papers or projects.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $244800 - $450000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.

Established in 2023, the Byte Dance Seed team is dedicated to pioneering new paths toward artificial general intelligence. We aspire to advance the frontier of intelligence to drive progress for both technology and society. With a long-term vision for the AI sector, the Seed team's research spans MLLM, Gen Media, AI for Science, and Robotics. We maintain a global presence with laboratories and career opportunities across China, Singapore, and the United States.

To date, we have launched industry-leading general foundation models and cutting-edge multimodal capabilities. Our technology powers over 50 application scenarios — including Doubao, Jimeng, TRAE, Dola and Dreamnia — and serves enterprise customers through Volcano Engine and Byte Plus. Third-party data shows that the Doubao App ranks first in user volume in the Chinese market, while Doubao foundation models lead the industry in average daily token consumption.

Inspiring creativity is at the core of Byte Dance's mission. Our innovative products are built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and enrich life - a mission we work towards every day. As Byte Dancers, we strive to do great things with great people.

We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for…