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AI Agentic Research Lead Project Intern (Seed-Global Data) - 2026 Start (PhD)

ByteDance

ByteDance

Software Engineering, Data Science
International Falls, MN, USA
USD 52.25-52.25 / hour
Posted on Jan 17, 2026

Responsibilities

About the team As a core member of our Seed Global Data Team, you'll be at the heart of our operations. Gain first-hand experience in understanding the intricacies of training Large Language Models (LLMs) with diverse data sets. Through our carefully designed rotation program, you'll witness how high-quality data is meticulously crafted and used. As a key member of our Seed Global Data Team, the AI Agentic Research Lead project intern will play a pivotal role in leading end-to-end research initiatives focused on next-generation Agentic LLM systems. This role demands deep technical ownership—from defining the problem space and designing rigorous experiments to analyzing data and driving iterative improvements. You will serve as the bridge between theoretical research and practical application, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams in China to deliver statistically significant breakthroughs in agent capabilities. As a project intern, you will have the opportunity to engage in impactful short-term projects that provide you with a glimpse of professional real-world experience. You will gain practical skills through on-the-job learning in a fast-paced work environment and develop a deeper understanding of your career interests. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early. Successful candidates must be able to commit to at least 3 months long internship period. Your Role Will Involve: 1. Drive the full research lifecycle, including scoping research questions, designing experimental protocols, overseeing data collection, performing deep statistical analysis, and iterating on model architectures or prompting strategies. 2. Actively collaborate with engineering and research teams in China. This requires fluent Chinese proficiency to ensure seamless technical communication, alignment on goals, and rapid knowledge transfer across time zones. 3. Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Research Specialists, ensuring experimental rigor and code quality while fostering a collaborative research environment. 4. Regularly synthesize research progress, blockers, and insights into high-quality technical reports and presentations for PMs and research leadership.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications 1. Currently pursuing or recently completed a PhD or Post-Doc in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, or a related field. 2. 3+ years of research experience in LLMs, AI, or Machine Learning, with a portfolio of completed research projects. 3. Expert proficiency in Python, particularly with data analysis and scientific computing libraries (pandas, numpy, scipy, scikit-learn). Strong command of experimental design and statistical analysis. 4. Hands-on experience with prompt engineering, agentic frameworks (e.g., LangChain, AutoGPT), and LLM evaluation methodologies. 5. Fluent proficiency in Mandarin is strictly required for collaboration with global teams as there will be close communication with Mandarin-speaking global research team on agentic model training and training data analysis. Preferred Qualifications: 1. First-author publications in top-tier AI/ML conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, etc.). 2. Direct experience with RLHF (Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback) or RLAIF workflows. 3. Familiarity with distributed training infrastructure and large-scale data visualization/charting tools. Work Arrangement: Full-time (10–24 weeks). Onsite preference for maximal lab collaboration; hybrid arrangements considered for exceptional candidates. By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here: https://jobs.bytedance.com/en/legal/privacy

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Hourly) - Campus Intern

The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $52.25- $52.25.

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). Interns who are not working 100% remote may also be eligible for housing allowance.

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:

1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;

2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and

3. Exercising sound judgment.

About Doubao (Seed)

Founded in 2023, the ByteDance Doubao (Seed) Team, is dedicated to pioneering advanced AI foundation models. Our goal is to lead in cutting-edge research and drive technological and societal advancements.

With a strong commitment to AI, our research areas span deep learning, reinforcement learning, Language, Vision, Audio, AI Infra and AI Safety. Our team has labs and research positions across China, Singapore, and the US.

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