Senior Research Engineer / Scientist -AI for Databases

ByteDance; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 202,160 - 368,220; Full time

Job summary

ByteDance in Seattle seeks a Senior Research Engineer/Scientist for AI for Databases. You will design and implement intelligent data infrastructure to improve database performance, scalability, and usability.

You will work across query optimization, indexing, workload forecasting, and self-managing databases at scale, publishing results at top venues and contributing to open-source projects.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field with a focus on databases, systems, or machine learning.
• Strong publication record in accredited venues (SIGMOD, VLDB, ICDE, NeurIPS).
• Strong background in database internals (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or modern cloud-native databases/BigData platforms).
• Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks (XGBoost, LightGBM, TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Preferred: Python, C++, or Java.
• Experience with cloud database platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Familiarity with LLM, reinforcement learning, neural architecture search, or automated database tuning.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research and development in applying AI/ML techniques to database management systems.
• Develop intelligent algorithms for tasks such as query planning, indexing, storage management, and workload prediction/scheduling.
• Collaborate with data infrastructure and engineering teams to integrate AI models into production systems.
• Analyze large-scale datasets from database workloads to uncover optimization opportunities.
• Publish findings in top-tier conferences and journals (e.g., VLDB, SIGMOD, ICDE, NeurIPS).
• Contribute to open-source projects or internal tools supporting AI-enhanced databases.

Skills

AI/ML in databases

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

PhD in Computer Science or Data Science

Tools

XGBoost

LightGBM

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

PostgreSQL

MySQL

Cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure)

Job description

Senior Research Engineer / Scientist - AI for Databases

Location: Seattle

Team: Infrastructure

Employment Type: Regular

Job Code: A76809

About the Role

The AI4DB team combines expertise in databases, large‑scale systems, and artificial intelligence to build next‑generation AI‑native data infrastructure. As a senior research engineer or scientist, you will design and implement intelligent systems that improve the performance, scalability, and usability of modern databases. Your work will span query optimization, indexing strategies, workload forecasting, and the development of self‑managing databases at a scale that powers millions of users.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research and development in applying AI/ML techniques to database management systems.
• Develop intelligent algorithms for tasks such as query planning, indexing, storage management, and workload prediction/scheduling.
• Collaborate with data infrastructure and engineering teams to integrate AI models into production systems.
• Analyze large‑scale datasets from database workloads to uncover optimization opportunities.
• Publish findings in top‑tier conferences and journals (e.g., VLDB, SIGMOD, ICDE, NeurIPS).
• Contribute to open‑source projects or internal tools supporting AI‑enhanced databases.

Qualifications

• Minimum: PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field with a focus on databases, systems, or machine learning.
• Strong publication record in accredited venues (SIGMOD, VLDB, ICDE, NeurIPS, etc.) related to the AI4DB area.
• Strong background in database internals (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or modern cloud‑native databases/BigData platforms).
• Hands‑on experience with machine learning frameworks (XGBoost, LightGBM, TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit‑learn).
• Preferred: Proficiency in Python, C++, or Java.
• Experience with cloud database platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) is a plus.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills.
• Familiarity with LLM, reinforcement learning, neural architecture search, or automated database tuning.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $202,160 – $368,220 annually. Base pay may vary based on qualifications, experience, and location. The total package may include discretionary bonuses, restricted stock units, and other incentives.

Employees receive 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; 10 paid holidays; 10 paid sick days; and 17 days of paid personal time (prorated on hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

EEO and Legal Notice

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with 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 to certain job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment. The following duties are considered potentially sensitive:

• Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
• Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems;
• Exercising sound judgment.

Reasonable Accommodation: The company is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in the recruitment process for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs, or other protected reasons. Requests for accommodations can be submitted to https://tinyurl.com/RA-request.