What are the responsibilities and job description for the Research Scientist Intern (Privacy Innovation Lab) - 2025 Summer (PhD) position at TikTok?
Responsibilities
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and its offices include New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Creation is the core of TikTok's purpose. Our platform is built to help imaginations thrive. This is doubly true of the teams that make TikTok possible.
Together, we inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we all believe in and aim towards achieving every day.
To us, every challenge, no matter how difficult, is an opportunity; to learn, to innovate, and to grow as one team. Status quo? Never. Courage? Always.
At TikTok, we create together and grow together. That's how we drive impact - for ourselves, our company, and the communities we serve.
Join us.
Team Introduction
Privacy Innovation (PI) Lab is established to explore the next frontier of privacy technology and theory in the digitalized world. We provide key insights and technical solutions on privacy-related innovation for all TikTok’s products. Furthermore, we also collaborate with worldwide technical and academic communities to build an open ecosystem to promote privacy friendly digital experience.
We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2025. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok.
Internships At TikTok Aim To Provide Students With Hands-on Experience In Developing Fundamental Skills And Exploring Potential Career Paths. A Vibrant Blend Of Social Events And Enriching Development Workshops Will Be Available For You To Explore. Here, You Will Utilize Your Knowledge In Real-world Scenarios While Laying a Strong Foundation For Personal And Professional Growth. This Internship Program Runs For 12 Weeks Beginning In May/June 2025. Successful Candidates Must Be Able To Commit To One Of The Following Summer Internship Start Dates Below:
Monday, May 12
Monday, May 19
Tuesday May 27 (Memorial Day May 26)
Monday, June 9
Monday, June 23
We will prioritize candidates who are able to commit to these start dates. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).
Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions and will be considered for jobs in the order you apply. The application limit is applicable to TikTok and its affiliates' jobs globally. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early.
Online Assessment
Candidates who pass resume evaluation will be invited to participate in TikTok's technical online assessment in HackerRank.
Responsibilities
We are looking for Research Interns to help us identify new opportunities and develop scientifically sound systems to improve technological guarantees for user privacy and advance the efficient frontier of privacy and utility in our systems, contribute to the development of libraries and tools to support research and business, and publish influential research findings in prestigious journals and at prestigious conferences.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
Currently pursuing a PhD degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
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 https://shorturl.at/cdpT2
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $57- $72.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year).
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:
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and its offices include New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Creation is the core of TikTok's purpose. Our platform is built to help imaginations thrive. This is doubly true of the teams that make TikTok possible.
Together, we inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we all believe in and aim towards achieving every day.
To us, every challenge, no matter how difficult, is an opportunity; to learn, to innovate, and to grow as one team. Status quo? Never. Courage? Always.
At TikTok, we create together and grow together. That's how we drive impact - for ourselves, our company, and the communities we serve.
Join us.
Team Introduction
Privacy Innovation (PI) Lab is established to explore the next frontier of privacy technology and theory in the digitalized world. We provide key insights and technical solutions on privacy-related innovation for all TikTok’s products. Furthermore, we also collaborate with worldwide technical and academic communities to build an open ecosystem to promote privacy friendly digital experience.
We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2025. Internships at TikTok aim to offer students industry exposure and hands-on experience. Turn your ambitions into reality as your inspiration brings infinite opportunities at TikTok.
Internships At TikTok Aim To Provide Students With Hands-on Experience In Developing Fundamental Skills And Exploring Potential Career Paths. A Vibrant Blend Of Social Events And Enriching Development Workshops Will Be Available For You To Explore. Here, You Will Utilize Your Knowledge In Real-world Scenarios While Laying a Strong Foundation For Personal And Professional Growth. This Internship Program Runs For 12 Weeks Beginning In May/June 2025. Successful Candidates Must Be Able To Commit To One Of The Following Summer Internship Start Dates Below:
Monday, May 12
Monday, May 19
Tuesday May 27 (Memorial Day May 26)
Monday, June 9
Monday, June 23
We will prioritize candidates who are able to commit to these start dates. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).
Candidates can apply to a maximum of two positions and will be considered for jobs in the order you apply. The application limit is applicable to TikTok and its affiliates' jobs globally. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early.
Online Assessment
Candidates who pass resume evaluation will be invited to participate in TikTok's technical online assessment in HackerRank.
Responsibilities
We are looking for Research Interns to help us identify new opportunities and develop scientifically sound systems to improve technological guarantees for user privacy and advance the efficient frontier of privacy and utility in our systems, contribute to the development of libraries and tools to support research and business, and publish influential research findings in prestigious journals and at prestigious conferences.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
Currently pursuing a PhD degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
- Able to commit to working for 12 weeks during Summer 2025.
- At least one of the following skills is required: Secure Multi-Party Computation techniques, Differential Privacy, Federated Learning or Federated Analytics, Homomorphic Encryption.
- Ability to communicate research findings clearly and precisely.
- Ability to design and implement analytical and/or algorithmic solutions that are tailored to specific business needs and tested on large data sets.
- Programming proficiency: Familiar with Python, C , Pytorch, Tensorflow, etc.
- A demonstrated track record of research publication.
- Must obtain work authorization in country of employment at the time of hire, and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment.
- Graduating December 2025 onwards with the intent to return to degree program after the completion of the internship.
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 https://shorturl.at/cdpT2
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $57- $72.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Interns have day one access to health insurance, life insurance, wellbeing benefits and more. Interns also receive 10 paid holidays per year and paid sick time (56 hours if hired in first half of year, 40 if hired in second half of year).
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:
- 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; and
- Exercising sound judgment.
Salary : $57 - $72
