LLM/Multimodal AI Engineer Intern (TikTok Search) - 2027 Start (PhD)

TikTok; Singapore; On-site; SGD 22,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok in Singapore invites PhD students to join as an LLM/Multimodal AI Engineer Intern (TikTok Search) for a 2027 start. You will work on building and optimizing our search stack, applying NLP, multimodal learning, and foundation models to deliver better search experiences.

Under mentorship, you’ll contribute to large-scale search algorithms, data analysis, and experimental validation, with opportunities to publish and influence product directions during your internship.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a PhD in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Solid programming skills in Python, C++, or a related language.
• Strong understanding of machine learning and deep learning fundamentals.
• Experience in search/retrieval, ranking, NLP, multimodal learning, LLMs, or applied ML.
• Ability to conduct structured technical exploration and translate ideas into prototypes under guidance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize algorithms for large-scale search under mentor guidance.
• Apply ML, DL, and foundation models to improve search relevance.
• Explore LLM-powered search technologies in research or engineering modules.
• Contribute to multimodal search using text, image, video, audio signals.
• Collaborate with mentors and partners to improve algorithms from research to validation.
• Perform data analysis and model evaluation to boost user satisfaction and business impact.

Skills

Python

C++

ML fundamentals

Research internship

Education

PhD candidate in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Discover a career that energizes and excites you every day.

@2026 TikTok

Algorithm

LLM/Multimodal AI Engineer Intern (TikTok Search) - 2027 Start (PhD)

Location:

Employment Type:

Intern

Job Code:

A184698

Share this listing:

Responsibilities

Our Search Team is responsible for building and owning our search engine which provides our users the best search experience. On the Search Team, you’ll have the opportunity to build a full-stack search engine system and combine information retrieval technology with modern machine learning methods from related fields such as NLP, Computer Vision, Multimodal, and Recommender Systems. We embrace a culture of self-direction, intellectual curiosity, openness, and problem-solving.We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. PhD internships at Our Company provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, as well as to the organization’s future plans and emerging technologies.Our dynamic internship experience blends hands‑on learning, enriching community‑building and professional development events, and collaboration with industry experts.

• Participate in the development and optimization of algorithms for large‑scale search systems under mentor guidance, including query understanding, retrieval, ranking, reranking, and relevance modeling
• Support the application of machine learning, deep learning, and foundation model technologies to improve search relevance, personalization, and user satisfaction
• Explore LLM‑powered search technologies in scoped research or engineering modules, such as generative search, retrieval‑augmented generation, search agents, long‑context understanding, and multi‑turn search scenarios
• Contribute to multimodal search capabilities by leveraging text, image, video, audio, user behavior, and other content signals
• Work closely with mentors and cross‑functional partners to understand key search quality issues, prototype technical ideas, and contribute to algorithm improvements from research exploration to experimental validation
• Conduct data analysis, model evaluation, and offline/online experiment support to help improve search experience and business impact

Qualifications

Minimum Qualification(s):

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Software Development, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Solid programming skills in Python, C++, or a related language
• Good understanding of machine learning and deep learning fundamentals
• Hands‑on experience through coursework, lab projects, research projects, internships, or personal exploration in at least one relevant area: search/retrieval, ranking, recommender systems, NLP, multimodal learning, LLMs, or applied ML
• Ability to conduct structured technical exploration, analyze problems, and translate ideas into working prototypes or experimental results under guidance

Preferred Qualification(s):

• Coursework, lab project, competition, open‑source, research, or internship experience in search, ranking, NLP, multimodal learning, LLMs, or AI systems
• Technical projects, open‑source contributions, competition experience, research exploration, or publications demonstrating interest and capability in relevant domains
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with curiosity and willingness to learn in open‑ended, large‑scale technical scenarios
• Good communication and collaboration skills, with enthusiasm for learning from mentors and contributing to impactful products
• Passion for applying research ideas and emerging AI technologies to real‑world user and business problems

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.