About the job
The TikTok Search team is responsible for delivering a world-class search experience across TikTok’s global ecosystem. Our mission is to connect users with the most relevant and high-quality content through advanced technologies in search ranking, recommendation, and multimodal understanding. As a campus hire, you will collaborate with top engineers and researchers to solve challenging problems at scale, working across the full stack of search—from content understanding and retrieval to ranking and user experience optimization.
Responsibilities
Support the development of AI search systems using large models (LLMs).
Assist in improving ranking, personalization, and relevance in search.
Contribute to generative and multimodal search models (video, text, image).
Explore LLM-based approaches for complex and multi-turn queries.
Help optimize retrieval and ranking performance at scale.
Collaborate with mentors and cross-functional teams to prototype and evaluate solutions.
Qualifications
Minimum
Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or related fields.
Solid foundation in machine learning, deep learning, or information retrieval.
Familiarity with at least one of the following: LLMs, NLP, search/recommendation, or multimodal learning.
Proficiency in Python and experience with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
Strong problem-solving skills and willingness to learn in a fast-paced environment.
Preferred
Research experience demonstrated through projects, publications, or open-source contributions.
Experience with large-scale data, model training, or system implementation.
Exposure to search, recommendation, or ads systems.
Experience with multimodal models or generative AI applications.
Interest in LLMs, agent-based systems, or end-to-end AI applications.
Previous internship or research experience in industry or labs.