Applied Researcher, Vision Language Models​/VLM

Applied Researcher, Vision Language Models/VLM - Tik Tok

Location:

San Jose

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Code: A71127

• Lead, collaborate and execute on research that pushes forward state‑of‑the‑art in multimodal reasoning and generation research.
• Enhance VLM with specialized features like OCR and captioning to optimize performance for Tik Tok business applications.
• Explore the model architecture and inference‑efficient model design to enable scaled application in downstream Tik Tok business.
• Work closely with cross‑functional teams to plan and implement projects harnessing VLMs for diverse purposes and vertical domains.
• Extend the insights and impact from industry to academia.

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Rust, or C++ and a track record of working with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, Deep Speed, Megatron, vLLM, etc.).
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and a creative mindset to address complex AI challenges.
• Demonstrated ability to drive research projects from idea to implementation, producing tangible outcomes.
• Published research papers or contributions to the LLM community would be a significant plus.
• Experience with inference tuning and inference acceleration; deep understanding of GPU and/or other AI accelerators, large‑scale AI networks, PyTorch 2.0 and similar technologies.
• Experience with evaluation of AI systems, LLM application & agent development is desirable.
• Strong understanding of distributed computing framework and performance tuning and verification for training/fine tuning/inference; familiarity with PEFT, RL, MoE, CoT or Langchain is a plus.
• Strong understanding of cutting‑edge LLM research (e.g., long context, multi‑modality, alignment research, agent ecosystem, etc.) and practical expertise in implementing these advanced systems.

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $244,800 - $450,000 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).

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:

Tik Tok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. Tik Tok is committed to celebrating diverse voices and creating an environment that reflects the communities we reach.

Tik Tok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at