Research Scientist, Multimodal Generative AI (Intelligent Creation)– Global Frontier Tech Recru[...]

TikTok; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 244,800 - 588,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Short-term and long-term disability coverage

Life insurance

Wellbeing benefits

10 paid holidays

10 paid sick days

17 days of paid personal time

Job summary

TikTok is seeking a candidate for a role in San Jose, California focusing on building next-generation foundation models in generative AI. You will conduct research, develop large-scale models, and optimize workflows. A PhD in Computer Science or a related field is required. Proficiency in AI frameworks and strong programming skills are essential. The job offers a competitive salary range of $244,800 – $588,000 annually along with comprehensive benefits including medical coverage, 401(k), and paid leave.

Qualifications

• Completing or recently completed a PhD related to the role.
• Proficiency in training generative AI or large models.
• Strong programming skills and solid fundamentals in machine learning.
• Good communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research in generative AI and multimodal models.
• Develop large-scale foundation models through post-training techniques.
• Design models for creative applications on TikTok.

Skills

Generative AI training

Programming skills

Problem-solving

Machine learning fundamentals

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PyTorch

JAX

Job description

Responsibilities

We are looking for talented individuals to join our team in 2027. As a graduate, you will have the opportunity to pursue bold ideas, tackle complex challenges, and unlock your full potential. Launch your career where inspiration is infinite at our Company. Successful candidates must be able to onboard by the end of 2027. Please clearly state your availability and expected graduation date in your resume.

About The Team

The Intelligent Creation – Global GenAI team focuses on applied research in Generative AI, delivering intelligent creation solutions for the TikTok platform. Our mission is to empower users to create and share high‑quality content with ease. The team works on multimodal foundation models, image and video generation and editing, efficient model design, and world models.

About The Role

With rapid advances in AGI and foundation models, multimodal content creation across text, image, and video is undergoing a fundamental transformation. This role focuses on building next‑generation multimodal and agentic foundation models that enable intelligent, efficient, and end‑to‑end creative workflows. You will work on full‑modal understanding, AI‑generated image and video creation, and agentic systems, optimizing models through large‑scale training and post‑training techniques such as SFT and RL. The role also involves designing efficient model architectures and advancing reinforcement learning techniques to improve capability, scalability, and real‑world performance in creation scenarios.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research and development in generative AI and multimodal models (e.g., image, video).
• Develop large‑scale foundation models (LLMs/VLMs) through post‑training techniques.
• Design and build models for creative applications on the TikTok platform, driving end‑to‑end impact from research to production through cross‑functional collaboration.
• Explore new AI‑driven product opportunities and contribute to next‑generation creative experiences.

Qualifications

• Completing or recently completed a PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Development, or a related technical discipline.
• Proficiency in training generative AI or large models using frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
• Strong programming skills and solid fundamentals in machine learning.
• Strong problem‑solving ability and motivation to tackle real‑world challenges.
• Good communication and collaboration skills in fast‑paced environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Generative AI, Machine Learning Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Strong research background in generative AI, LLMs/VLMs, or ML systems.
• Hands‑on experience in image/video generation and editing, VLM/LLM fine‑tuning, efficient model design and optimization, or reinforcement learning methods (e.g., RLHF, DPO, GRPO).
• Track record of research publications in conferences such as CVPR, ECCV, ICCV, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGGRAPH, or SIGGRAPH Asia.

Job Information

• Base salary range: $244,800 – $588,000 annually.
• Compensation may vary based on qualifications, skills, experience, and location. Additional discretionary bonuses, incentives, and restricted stock units may be available.
• Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) with company match; paid parental leave; short‑term and long‑term disability coverage; life insurance; wellbeing benefits; 10 paid holidays; 10 paid sick days; and 17 days of paid personal time (prorated upon hire).
• The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.

Equal Employment Opportunity

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) candidates, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act. Criminal history may impact the following duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer: interacting with clients and colleagues; handling confidential information; exercising sound judgment.

Accommodation

TikTok 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 tinyurl.com/RA-request.