Research Scientist Graduate (DPU & AI Infra) - 2027 Start (PhD)

ByteDance; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

ByteDance is seeking a PhD-level candidate to join the Data Processing Unit team in Seattle. The role focuses on building foundational infrastructure for cloud and AI workloads, with emphasis on high-performance DPU software, network acceleration, and hardware collaboration.

The team works across compute, networking, and storage, driving research and practical implementations for next-generation cloud platforms.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS or related discipline, recently completed or pursuing completion.
• Proficiency in C/C++ development and debugging.
• Familiar with Linux systems development experience.
• Solid understanding of compute, network architecture, and operating systems.
• Background in software-hardware co-design, distributed systems, high-performance networking, or AI/ML systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop DPU network software with a focus on high performance, low latency, and reliability.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to build software-hardware co-design solutions for networking and storage acceleration.
• Explore AI/ML infrastructure acceleration, leveraging DPUs, GPUs, and custom hardware to optimize distributed training and inference.
• Drive end-to-end performance optimization, from OS kernels and drivers to user-space runtime systems.
• Contribute to architecture design, technical proposals, and long-term research directions.

Skills

C/C++ development

Linux systems

Compute/Network architecture

Software-hardware co-design

Education

PhD in CS or related

Tools

DPDK

SR-IOV

OVS

CUDA

NCCL

Job description

Join us as we work together to inspire creativity and enrich life around the globe.

Location:

Seattle

Team:

Technology

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Code:

A175456C

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Responsibilities

About the Team

The ByteDance DPU (Data Processing Unit) team is building the foundational computing infrastructure for ByteDance and Volcano Engine Public Cloud. Our mission is to advance the architecture, development, and research of next-generation software-hardware technologies across compute, networking, and storage for cloud and AI computing. Our technology stack spans- Cloud virtualization & hypervisors- High-performance user-space network protocols (DPDK, RDMA, etc.)- High-speed interconnect and virtual switching- Distributed storage acceleration- GPU virtualization and scheduling for AI/ML workloadsWe work at the intersection of software systems, distributed infrastructure, and custom hardware acceleration, shaping the next wave of cloud-scale computing.

• Design and develop DPU network software with a focus on high performance, low latency, and reliability.
• Collaborate with hardware teams to build software-hardware co-design solutions for networking and storage acceleration.
• Explore AI/ML infrastructure acceleration, leveraging DPUs, GPUs, and custom hardware to optimize distributed training and inference.
• Drive end-to-end performance optimization, from OS kernels and drivers to user-space runtime systems.
• Contribute to architecture design, technical proposals, and long-term research directions.

We are looking for talented individuals to join our team. As a graduate, you will get opportunities to pursue bold ideas, tackle complex challenges, and unlock limitless growth. Successful candidates must be able to commit to an onboarding date by the end of the year. Please state your availability and graduation date clearly in your resume.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Individuals who are completing or have recently completed a PhD degree in CS or a related discipline.
• Proficiency in C/C++ development and debugging.
• Familiar with Linux systems development experience.
• Solid understanding of compute, network architecture, and operating systems.
• Background in at least one of: software-hardware co-design, distributed systems, high-performance networking, or AI/ML systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with software-hardware co-design (networking, storage, or distributed compute).
• Hands-on experience with network virtualization (OVS, SR-IOV, eBPF).
• Familiarity with DPDK and high-performance user-space networking.
• Bonus points for hardware acceleration experience, FPGA/ASIC/GPU/CUDA-
• Bonus points for experience with NCCL Collectives along with AI communication patterns and parallelization techniques-
• Proven experience designing and building AI/ML infrastructure related but not limited to inference kv cache system, data preprocessing system.

Job Information

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.

Diversity & Inclusion

ByteDance 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 ByteDance, our mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. 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.

Reasonable Accommodation

ByteDance is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request