Responsibilities
TikTok Ads Core ML Team aims at creating automatic delivery products for the next generation and developing advertising as a global business, instead of just a monetization tool to consolidate the delivery funnel framework allowing multiple teams to iterate parallel. All of our team effort, is to continuously pursue and establish a world-leading ranking model & framework that always benefits our collaborators, users and customers to get better returns. We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience. Watch your ambitions become reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok. PhD internships at TikTok 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). Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions and will be considered for jobs in the order you apply. The application limit is applicable to TikTok and its affiliates' jobs globally. Successful candidates must be able to commit to at least 3 months long internship period. Responsibilities: As part of our team, you will be responsible for: 1. Assist in optimizing efficiency across the entire advertising funnel, including Recall&Rough-sort, Fine-sort(CTR/CVR), format/creative personalization and system resource allocation. 2. Research & develop a global advanced advertising delivery system through frontier technologies, including ML/DL, RL, LLM and also scaling law in ads recommendation. 3. Design & Set up system framework and standard to continuously improve overall efficiency and meet different vertical business needs. 4. Work with product and business teams from various scenarios with global impact.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications: 1. Currently pursuing a PhD Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related technical discipline with 2+ years research or machine learning modeling experience. 2. Able to commit to working for 12 weeks during Summer 2026. 3. Solid programming skills, proficient in C/C++ and Python. Familiar with basic data structure and algorithms. Familiar with Linux development environment. 4. Good analytical thinking capability. Essential knowledge and skills in statistics. 5. Good theoretical grounding in deep learning concepts and techniques. 6. Familiar with architecture and implementation of at least one mainstream machine learning programming framework (TensorFlow/Pytorch/MXNet), familiar with its architecture and implementation mechanism. Preferred Qualifications: 1. PhD candidate focused on a statistical learning related field. 2. Graduating December 2026 onwards with the intent to return to degree program after the completion of the internship. 3. Good knowledge in one of the following fields: Factorization Machine, Uplift Modeling, Diffusion Models, Reinforcement Learning. 4. Basic understanding of large recommendation system and ads serving system concepts. By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here: https://careers.tiktok.com/legal/privacy
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $60- $60.
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.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
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:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is 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 bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.
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. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. 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.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok 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 TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. 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.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok 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 https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
