Research Scientist Graduate (TikTok Recommendation-Agentic AI) - 2026 Start (PhD)

TikTok Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 388,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok Inc. in California is seeking a PhD-level researcher for the Agentic Recommendation team to push the boundaries of next-generation recommender systems.

You will design reinforcement learning datasets, explore and optimize RL algorithms, and conduct research on agentic and generative recommender models, translating ideas into scalable real-world applications for billions of users. The role targets graduates who can commit to onboarding in late 2026, and emphasizes

Qualifications

• Final-year Ph.D. candidate or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related field.
• Strong knowledge and hands-on experience in reinforcement learning, agent development, or LLM post-training.
• Passion for exploring cutting-edge research topics and bridging theory with practice.

Responsibilities

• Design and construct reinforcement learning datasets tailored for recommendation scenarios.
• Explore and optimize reinforcement learning algorithms, and develop scalable training and inference frameworks.
• Conduct research on agentic recommendation systems and generative recommendation models.
• Stay up to date with the latest SoTA advancements and translate research ideas into real-world applications.

Skills

reinforcement learning

agent development

LLM post-training

Education

Final-year Ph.D. candidate or Ph.D. in Computer Science

Job description

Responsibilities

Welcome to TikTok's Agentic Recommendation team, where we're reimagining the future of recommendation systems. Our mission is to build world-class, end-to-end recommender systems that go beyond prediction to reasoning, alignment, and autonomy.

We're integrating cutting-edge techniques such as multimodal large language models (MLLMs), reinforcement learning, and agentic alignment to drive next-generation user experiences at scale.

If you're passionate about pushing the boundaries of recommender systems, join us to explore, innovate, and help shape the future for billions of users around the world.

We are looking for talented individuals to join our team in 2026. As a graduate, you will get unparalleled opportunities for you to kickstart your career, pursue bold ideas and explore limitless growth opportunities. Co-create a future driven by your inspiration with TikTok.

Successful candidates must be able to commit to an onboarding date by end of year 2026

We will prioritize candidates who are able to commit to these start dates. Please state your availability and graduation date clearly in your resume.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early.

• Design and construct reinforcement learning datasets tailored for recommendation scenarios.
• Explore and optimize reinforcement learning algorithms, and develop scalable training and inference frameworks.
• Conduct research on agentic recommendation systems and generative recommendation models.
• Stay up to date to the latest SoTA advancements in relevant areas, and translate research ideas into real-world applications.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Final-year Ph.D. candidate or recent Ph.D. graduate in Computer Science or a related field.
• Strong knowledge and hands-on experience in at least one of the following areas: reinforcement learning, agent development, or LLM post-training.
• Passion for exploring cutting-edge research topics and bridging theory with practice.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Publications in accredited academia conferences such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, IJCAI, RecSys, KDD, WWW, or WSDM.
• Internship or project experience related to reinforcement learning, agent-based systems, or LLM alignment/post-training.

Job Information

[For Pay Transparency] Compensation Description (annually)

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $162000 - $387600 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

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; and

3. Exercising sound judgment.