LLM Algorithm Research Scientist Code AI Intern (AI Innovation Center) - 2026 Start (PhD)

TikTok; Singapore; On-site; SGD 33,000 - 47,000; Part time

Job summary

TikTok invites PhD interns to contribute to cutting-edge AI research at the Eng-AI Innovation Center in 2026. The role focuses on advancing large language model code, enhancing code comprehension and reasoning in real-world TikTok production codebases, and exploring Code Agent capabilities for efficient R&D deployment.

Applicants should have a PhD with strong ML/LLM background, excellent programming skills in C/C++ or Python, and a passion for solving challenging AI problems.

Qualifications

• PhD degree required with top AI conference papers (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ACL, OSDI, NSDI, SC, SigMOD, etc.) in ML/CV/NLP.
• Excellent programming skills, data structures and algorithms, proficient in C/C++ or Python.
• Research experience in ML, especially LLMs and generative AI.

Responsibilities

• Drive core technology development for large language model code direction, optimizing code comprehension, reasoning, and generation.
• Improve code comprehension, reasoning, and generation capabilities in real-world production codebases, enhancing TikTok service code performance and privacy.
• Explore Code Agent capabilities suitable for production environments and improve TikTok R&D efficiency.

Skills

PhD in AI/ML

C/C++ or Python

ML/LLMs research

Education

PhD degree

Job description

LLM Algorithm Research Scientist Code AI Intern (AI Innovation Center) - 2026 Start (PhD)

Location:

Employment Type:

Intern

Job Code:

A49825

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Responsibilities

About The Team: The mission of the TikTok Eng-AI Innovation Center is to explore cutting-edge AGI technologies, including but not limited to LLM, multi-modal LLM (video/image/audio/text/code), etc., to let machine better understand user creations on Tiktok platform. Regarding to video/image/audio/text, enhanced content understanding can bring better user experience of searching, recommendation, and can more accurately identify and defend internet abuse and fraud on our platform. Regarding to code, our developed LLM aims to automatically re-organize/optimize Tiktok codebase, and make the code/coding become more accessible for Tiktok engineers. We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. PhD Internships at TikTok aim to provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization’s future plans and emerging technologies. 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). The main job directions include:

• Drive core technology development for large language model code direction, continuously optimizing code comprehension, reasoning, and generation capabilities.
• Focus on improving code comprehension, reasoning, and generation capabilities in real-world production codebases, improving TikTok service code performance and privacy compliance.
• Explore Code Agent capabilities suitable for actual business production environments, and improve TikTok R&D efficiency.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification:

• PhD degree required, with top artificial intelligence conference papers (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ACL, OSDI, NSDI, SC and SigMOD, etc.) in machine learning (ML), computer vision (CV), natural language processing (NLP) and other fields.
• Excellent programming skills, data structure and algorithm skills, proficient in C/C++ or Python programming language, candidates with awards in ACM/ICPC, NOI/IOI, Top Coder, Kaggle and other competitions are preferred.
• Research experience in the field of machine learning, especially in large language models (LLMs) and generative artificial intelligence.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent problem analysis and solving skills, and passionate about solving challenging problems.
• Passionate about technology, good communication skills and teamwork spirit.

Job Information

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.

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