Research Intern (AI Compute Efficiency & Scheduling) - 2027 Start (PhD) PhD Intern - 2027 Start

Responsibilities

We decide how Byte Dance's massive fleet of computers gets used — turning hundreds of clusters and millions of daily workloads (microservices, big data, and large AI/LLM jobs) into a system that's highly efficient, reliable, and increasingly self-managing, powered by our own intelligent scheduling platform Godel (open-sourced to the community). Our mission: get the most value out of every unit of computing power, at a scale few places in the world can offer, and let AI increasingly help run the infrastructure.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. PhD internships at Our Company provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, as well as to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies.

Our dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and professional development events, and collaboration with industry experts.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so we encourage you to apply early. Please clearly state your availability in your resume (Start date, End date).

• One focused, real project within our scope — for example:
  
  - Help make our intelligent, AI-driven scheduler smarter at placing and balancing workloads.
• Explore new ways to get more useful work out of the same hardware — smarter use of compute, memory, or power.
• Build tools that help a global platform run reliably and increasingly manage itself, including AI-agent-assisted automation.

The AI era runs on compute — and using it efficiently is one of the defining challenges for our company and the whole industry. Our team owns that challenge at Byte Dance's global scale, making the infrastructure behind Tik Tok and our AI/LLM products faster, smarter, and far more efficient. As an intern, you'll get a real project at the center of it.

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science or a related discipline.
• Able to commit to a 12-week internship during Summer 2027.
• Experience coding in Go, C++, Python, Java, or C#.

Preferred Qualifications

• Intent to return to your degree program after the internship.
• Strong fundamentals in systems, distributed computing, or software engineering — shown through internships, work, research, competitions, or projects.
• Curiosity about large-scale or AI/ML infrastructure; exposure to Linux, containers, or Kubernetes is a plus but not required.
• High creativity and quick problem-solving.

Founded in 2012, Byte Dance's mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. With a suite of more than a dozen products, including Tik Tok, Lemon8, Cap Cut and Pico as well as platforms specific to the China market, including Toutiao, Douyin, and Xigua, Byte Dance has made it easier and more fun for people to connect with, consume, and create content.

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 ourselves, our Company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.

Byte Dance 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. At Byte Dance, our mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach.

We are passionate about this and hope you are too.

Byte Dance 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