Researcher Intern; Virtual Network PhD

Responsibilities

Team Introduction

Virtual Network-US team focuses on the research and development of Byte Dance network virtualization infrastructure, especially focusing on hardware accelerated technologies covering both central gateways and host networking scenarios. The Network division focuses on building large-scale and highly available cloud & AI networking infrastructure, which supports both Byte Dance public cloud products and its corporate products such as Douyin & Tik Tok.

We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. Internships at Byte Dance aim to offer students industry exposure and hands‑on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at Byte Dance.

PhD internships at Byte Dance provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization’s future plans and emerging technologies. Our dynamic internship experience blends hands‑on learning, enriching community‑building and development events, and collaboration with industry experts. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis – we encourage you to apply early. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).

• Develop key hardware acceleration technologies to optimize our central gateway & host networking components.
• Work with academia and open source communities on joint development.
• Follow the latest technologies from academia and industry and conduct deep‑dive analysis.
• Present our research and products in academic papers.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently pursuing a PhD in computer networking or a related technical discipline.
• Experience with at least one of the following areas:
• P4 programming on Tofino switch and/or Pensando DPU
• NPL programming on TD4 or TD5
• C programming with DPDK
• RDMA protocols and AI networking
• Commit to proactive continuous learning, demonstrate enthusiasm for networking fields, and exhibit a strong ability to quickly grasp and apply new technologies.
• Good communication and teamwork skills.

• Frequent contributors or maintainers in networking related open source communities.
• Having top tier networking conference publications such as NSDI or SIGCOMM.

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $57- $57.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year). Interns who are not working 100% remote may also be eligible for housing allowance.

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

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:

• Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
• Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
• Exercising sound judgment.

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