Research Engineer Intern (Ads ML Infra) - 2026 Start (PhD)

TikTok Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok is seeking PhD interns to join the Ads ML data platform team for 2026. The role focuses on building scalable data collection, feature engineering, training data generation, and privacy enforcement to support ads ranking and product development.

Interns will lead projects, provide technical guidance, and collaborate across teams to drive engineering efforts and bring in new ideas and technologies in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• PhD degree in computer science or related technical disciplines.
• Strong CS fundamentals (algorithms, data structures, software design) and problem-solving skills.
• Solid coding skills and a good understanding of algorithms, especially causal inference, uplift model, and deep learning.
• Experience in managing projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects committed to building and operating scalable and reliable Ads ranking infrastructure systems.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to team members and project peers.
• Communicate cross-functionally across various teams, organizations and internal and external stakeholders to drive engineering efforts.
• Lead the innovation efforts, and bring in new ideas and technologies.

Skills

Algorithms

Data structures

Software design

Problem solving

Causal inference

Uplift model

Deep learning

Project management

Education

PhD degree in computer science or related technical disciplines

Job description

Responsibilities

About the team

The ads system at TikTok operates on a massive scale and serves millions of advertisers, clients and influencers across the world. The quality of the ads system highly depends on the ability to handle massive data, and machine learning is widely used to improve the quality of our ads. The Ads machine learning data platform team is responsible for building highly efficient and stable infrastructure to collect and process data for the usage of machine learning training, serving, and privacy enforcement, including feature engineering, feature store, training data generation, etc.

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).

Summer Start Dates

• May 11th, 2026
• May 18th, 2026
• May 26th, 2026
• June 8th, 2026
• June 22nd, 2026

Responsibilities

• Lead projects committed to building and operating scalable and reliable Ads ranking infrastructure systems.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to team members and project peers.
• Communicate cross-functionally across various teams, organizations and internal and external stakeholders to drive engineering efforts.
• Lead the innovation efforts, and bring in new ideas and technologies.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD degree in computer science or related technical disciplines.
• Strong Computer Science fundamentals (algorithms, data structures, software design) and problem-solving skills.
• Solid coding skills and a good understanding of algorithms, especially causal inference, uplift model, and deep learning.
• Experience in managing projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Ads domain.
• Experience with building large-scale ranking infrastructure.