[Remote] Research Scientist Intern (TikTok Recommendation-Large Recommender Models) - 2026 Start (PhD)

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video, and they are seeking a Research Scientist Intern focused on advancing large-scale recommender systems. The intern will develop cutting-edge models to optimize recommendation accuracy and user engagement, collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance TikTok’s personalized content discovery. Responsibilities Research and develop large-scale recommender systems for personalized, engaging user experiences, focusing on scalability, accuracy, and performance Apply advanced machine learning and deep learning techniques to optimize recommendation algorithms for TikTok’s diverse user base Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of recommender models, from training and fine-tuning to deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement Analyze complex data to uncover user preferences, behaviors, and trends, driving personalization and enhancing TikTok’s recommendation capabilities Collaborate with cross-functional teams (infrastructure, product, research, etc.) to design and implement innovative solutions that improve the relevance and diversity of TikTok recommendations Skills Current pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, or a related field Experience in one or more areas of recommender systems, machine learning, computer vision, or natural language processing Proficiency in programming skills, solid foundation in data structures and algorithms Strong familiarity with deep learning architectures such as transformers, CNNs, RNNs, LSTMs, etc Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams Experience in building large-scale recommender systems that handle vast, diverse datasets and complex user interactions Publications in top-tier venues such as RecSys, SIGGRAPH, CVPR, ICCV, ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, or similar conferences/journals Benefits Interns have day one access to health insurance Life insurance Wellbeing benefits 10 paid holidays per year Paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year) Housing allowance Company Overview TikTok is a short-form video entertainment app and social network platform. It is a sub-organization of ByteDance. It was founded in 2003, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA, with a workforce of 10001+ employees. Its website is Company H1B Sponsorship TikTok has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 979 in 2025, 601 in 2024, 387 in 2023, 322 in 2022, 133 in 2021, 72 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.