Research Intern (RDMA/High Speed Network) - 2026 Start (PhD)

ByteDance; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 66,124 - 90,921; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid holidays

Paid sick time

Housing allowance

Job summary

ByteDance is seeking a Research Intern (RDMA/High Speed Network) for a 2026 start in Seattle. The role focuses on designing and optimizing high-performance transport protocols and congestion control for AI/LLM applications, with research into AI communication frameworks and co-design of host-network-application systems.

The position requires PhD studies in computer networking or related fields. The internship offers exposure to cutting-edge networking topics, collaboration with the Technology

Qualifications

• Pursuing a PhD in computer networking or related field.
• Experience with TCP/RoCEv2, socket and verbs APIs.
• Familiar with PCIe, NVLink, UALink and scale-out networks.
• Proficiency in C/C++, Python or Go; GPU knowledge is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize high-performance transport protocols for AI/LLM apps.
• Develop congestion control algorithms for AI/LLM networks.
• Research AI communication frameworks, network stacks, and host-network co-design.
• Review emerging tech and present findings in academic papers.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Go

Socket programming

Verbs APIs

RDMA

High-performance frameworks

Education

PhD in computer networking

Tools

NCCL

MPI

RPC libraries

PCIe

NVLink

Job description

Research Intern (RDMA/High Speed Network) - 2026 Start (PhD)

Location: Seattle

Team: Technology

Employment Type: Intern

Responsibilities

• Design, optimization, implementation and deployment of high-performance transport protocols to support AI/LLM applications.
• Design, optimization, implementation and deployment of congestion control algorithms to support AI/LLM applications.
• Research and development of high-performance AI communication framework, network protocol stacks, and co‑design optimization of host‑network‑application to improve the scalability, reliability and performance of AI/LLM networks.
• Follow the latest technologies from academia and industry, identify innovative parts of the system and present in academic papers.

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD in computer networking or a related technical discipline.
• Experience with at least one of the following areas: be familiar with network protocols like TCP and RoCEv2, have experience in network programming based on Socket and verbs APIs; be familiar with Data Center congestion control algorithms, understand their pros and cons; knowledge of scale‑up protocols like PCIe, NVLink, UALink, and their differences with scale‑out network protocols; be familiar with the latest advances in the area of high‑speed network systems, including RDMA, congestion control, AI network optimization and so on; proficiency in one or several mainstream programming languages, including C/C++, Python, Go and so on; have some knowledge of GPU architecture; experience in developing high performance communication frameworks (including NCCL, MPI and RPC libraries) is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Be familiar with AI training/inference systems and software‑hardware co‑design.
• Having top tier networking conference publications such as NSDI, SIGCOMM, OSDI, SOSP etc.

Job Information

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $57- $57.

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;
3. Exercising sound judgment.

About Us

Founded in 2012, ByteDance's mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. With a suite of more than a dozen products, including TikTok, Lemon8, CapCut and Pico as well as platforms specific to the China market, including Toutiao, Douyin, and Xigua, ByteDance has made it easier and more fun for people to connect with, consume, and create content.

Why Join ByteDance

Inspiring creativity is at the core of ByteDance's mission. Our innovative products are 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 enrich life – a mission we work towards every day. As ByteDancers, 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. 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.