Research Scientist Intern (TikTok Recommendation - Core Feed) - 2026 Start (PhD)

About the Team

Recommendation algorithm team plays a central role in the company, driving critical product decisions and platform growth. The team is made up of machine learning researchers and engineers, who support and innovate on production recommendation models and drive product impact. The team is fast-pacing, collaborative and impact-driven.



We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship from August 2025 onwards. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok.



Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early. Successful candidates are expected to work with the team for at least 12 weeks during the internship



Responsibilities:

- Deploy, prompt, and optimize cutting-edge foundation models (eg. Large Language Models, LLM).

- Apply foundation models to enhance and optimize TikTok's recommendation system and product offerings, improving the experience of billion-scale consumers and creators.

- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, data scientists, and product engineers, to form and solve problems, refine machine learning algorithms, and communicate results.

- Regularly run A/B tests, perform analyses, and iterate algorithms based on results.

- Work with infrastructure teams on improving the efficiency and stability of machine learning systems.