TikTok · 1 week ago
Research Scientist Graduate (TikTok Recommendation-Large Recommender Models) - 2026 Start (PhD)
San Jose, CA
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad
$137K/yr - $360K/yrTikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video, and they are seeking a Research Scientist Graduate to join their Recommendation team. This role focuses on advancing large-scale recommender systems to enhance personalized content discovery and user experiences through the development of cutting-edge models.
Content CreatorsContent DiscoveryMedia and EntertainmentSocial MediaVideo
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
Qualification
Required
Ph.D. degree 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
Preferred
Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields
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
Day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance
A 401(k) savings plan with company match
Paid parental leave
Short-term and long-term disability coverage
Life insurance
Wellbeing benefits
10 paid holidays per year
10 paid sick days per year
17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure)
Company
TikTok
TikTok is a short-form video entertainment app and social network platform. It is a sub-organization of ByteDance.
Founded in 2003
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
TikTok has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (979)
2024 (601)
2023 (387)
2022 (322)
2021 (133)
2020 (72)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
N Ali Mohamed
CEO
Blake Chandlee
VP Global Business Solutions
Recent News
2026-01-25
2026-01-25
2026-01-25
Company data provided by crunchbase