About the role#
This PhD internship focuses on building and scaling recommendation systems for the TikTok e-commerce platform. You will work with industry experts to research and implement new algorithms that improve the shopping experience for users. This is an on-site role based in San Jose, California.
What you'll do#
- Drive the transition of recommender systems from discriminative to generative paradigms, including generative retrieval and re-ranking.
- Optimize the training and inference efficiency of generative models on GPUs.
- Use Large Language Models and Reinforcement Learning to improve semantic understanding and reasoning in e-commerce scenarios like cold starts and user intent.
- Build self-evolving agents to optimize recommender systems and architecture.
- Develop algorithms for measuring and optimizing long-term value and user experience to replace traditional heuristic rule-based systems.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field.
- Solid foundation in machine learning and deep learning.
- Research or project experience in at least one of these areas: large language models, reinforcement learning, generative models, recommender systems, or information retrieval.
- Proficiency in Python and at least one deep learning framework such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.
- Experience with large-scale consumer products, generative recommendation architecture, or multimodal foundation models is a plus.
- A track record of publications in top-tier conferences like NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, KDD, ACL, CVPR, SIGIR, or RecSys, or success in major technical competitions.
Location & details#
- Location: San Jose, California.
- Modality: On-site.
- Employment: Full-time internship.
- Term: Rolling basis.
About TikTok
TikTok operates as an entertainment provider. The company maintains a global presence with offices in cities including Los Angeles, Singapore, New York, London, and Tokyo. It employs over 92,000 people. The organization is privately held.
How to get in at TikTok
Landing an internship at TikTok requires speed because early applicants often get seen before the pile grows. Intern Insider sends an instant alert the moment a role matching your target is published anywhere, so you can apply among the first. This gives you a better chance of your resume being reviewed while the team is still actively filling the position. You should aim to be one of the first people to submit your materials. Reaching out to the right person can also improve your chances of getting a response. Intern Insider surfaces the recruiters behind the company roles so you can contact them directly to ask about the role or a referral. This direct approach often works better than waiting for a response from a general application queue.
