Video/Image AI/ML Software Engineer Intern (Multimedia) - 2027 Start (PhD) PhD Intern - 2027 Start San Diego

Bytedance; San Diego, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 20,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

ByteDance seeks a PhD intern to work on video analysis, ROI detection, and perceptual quality assessment. You will design evaluation methods, build datasets, and contribute to end-to-end video quality optimization for VOD and live streaming.

You will prototype and optimize ML/DL models, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and document results for stakeholders in a fast-growing research environment.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD in a technical field relevant to video analysis and quality assessment.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ and Python; ability to prototype and optimize.
• Solid understanding of image/video analysis and objective quality metrics (VMAF, PSNR, SSIM).
• Hands-on ML/DL experience with PyTorch or TensorFlow; capable of independent experiments.
• Good written and verbal communication for cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Research and develop video analysis algorithms including ROI detection and content understanding.
• Design and implement image/video quality evaluation methods and benchmarks.
• Build and curate datasets, benchmarks, and evaluation pipelines for multimedia tasks.
• Contribute to end-to-end video quality optimization across processing and encoding.
• Apply algorithms to VOD and live streaming for quality monitoring and validation.
• Prototype, train, and optimize ML/DL models for multimedia tasks.
• Collaborate with research and engineering teams to integrate prototypes into production.
• Document findings and present results to stakeholders.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Image/video analysis

ML/DL frameworks

Experiment design

Communication

Education

PhD candidate in Computer Science, EE, Math or Statistics

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

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

Technology

Employment Type:

Intern

Job Code:

A154021

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Responsibilities

• Conduct research and development on video analysis algorithms, including but not limited to region-of-interest (ROI) detection, content understanding, feature extraction, and perceptual quality assessment.
• Support the design and implementation of image/video quality evaluation methods, including both objective and learning-based approaches.
• Assist in building and curating datasets, benchmarks, and evaluation pipelines for multimedia quality and content analysis tasks.
• Contribute to end-to-end video quality optimization solutions by combining video analysis, enhancement, processing, and encoding techniques, such as frame-level rate control and perceptual optimization strategies.
• Apply developed algorithms to VOD and live streaming use cases, including quality monitoring, data analysis, objective evaluation, and performance validation.
• Prototype, train, and optimize machine learning / deep learning models for multimedia understanding and quality-related tasks.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including infrastructure, platform, and engineering teams, to help integrate research prototypes into production workflows.
• Participate in offline experiments, online validation, and A/B testing analysis to measure algorithm impact and guide iteration.
• Document research findings, experimental results, and technical insights, and communicate them clearly to both research and engineering stakeholders.

About the team

Our team is building industry leading, highly efficient and scalable video codec hardware solutions (FPGA and ASIC) from the ground up to better serve our billions of users. We are looking for strong software and firmware engineers to design algorithms, C-model, and firmware for advanced video encoding and processing implemented in dedicated hardware accelerators. The successful candidate will be part of a fast growing team that includes algorithm, architecture, software, firmware, and hardware design and verification experts with a dedication to technical excellence and a passion to build large-scale and high-performing video platforms and services. We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship. PhD internships at Our Company provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, as well as to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies. Our dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and professional development events, and collaboration with industry experts.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a PhD degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related technical field.
• Strong programming, debugging, and optimization skills in one or more general-purpose programming languages, such as C/C++ and/or Python.
• Solid understanding of image/video analysis or image/video quality assessment methods.
• Familiarity with commonly used objective quality metrics and related techniques, such as VMAF, PSNR, SSIM, or similar approaches.
• Hands-on experience with machine learning or deep learning and familiarity with frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Ability to conduct experiments independently, analyze results rigorously, and iterate based on data.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative research and engineering environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research or hands‑on experience with Transformer architectures, multimodal large models (MLLMs), or vision‑language/video‑language modeling.
• Familiarity with video processing and enhancement algorithms, such as super‑resolution, restoration, denoising, or diffusion‑based approaches.
• Understanding of video codecs and compression standards, such as AVC, HEVC, AV1, and VP9, with exposure to video codec design or optimization preferred.
• Experience in perceptual video optimization, learned compression, or quality‑driven encoding strategies.
• Familiarity with multimedia system deployment, production experimentation, or large‑scale evaluation pipelines.
• Exposure to embedded systems, processors such as ARM or RISC‑V, or real‑time development in RTOS environments is a plus.
• Demonstrated passion for turning advanced research into impactful real‑world applications.

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