J-1 Visa ML Engineer Jobs
ML Engineer roles in the United States are accessible to exchange visitors through the J-1 visa, typically under the Research Scholar, Trainee, or Intern program categories depending on your career stage. Finding a host employer willing to work with a designated sponsor organization for DS-2019 sponsorship is the critical first step.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Efficient ML Engineer Research Intern, (AI Platform) - 2026 Start (PhD)
LOCATION
Location: San Jose
EMPLOYMENT TYPE
Employment Type: Regular
JOB CODE
Job Code: A199104A
Responsibilities
TEAM INTRODUCTION
The Vision Engineering Team at TikTok is at the forefront of delivering GenAI technologies directly into the TikTok products worldwide. Leveraging our proprietary AI infrastructures, we streamline the creation, integration, testing, and deployment of the GenAI features. This also encompasses large-scale training stability and optimization for acceleration, as well as large model inference and multi-machine multi-card deployment. Our work enhances user experience by powering diverse functionalities, including visual enhancements, video editing tools, and creative camera filters, both within TikTok and other applications.
We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. PhD Internships at TikTok aim to provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies.
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. It runs for 12 weeks.
PhD internships at TikTok provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies. Our dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and development events, and collaboration with industry experts.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).
- Develop algorithm acceleration technologies for text-to-image/text-to-video models through knowledge distillation, model architecture redesign (dynamic MoE routing/sparse attention), and parameter-efficient design (low-bit quantization) to achieve order-of-magnitude efficiency gains.
- Lead generative model innovation with focus on diffusion acceleration (sampling step reduction/latent optimization), autoregression model efficiency.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to identify performance bottlenecks, optimize vision models via algorithmic breakthroughs, and enhance ByteDance's product capabilities.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, engineering or quantitative field
- Proficient in C++/Python and high-performance coding.
- Expertise in diffusion models (Stable Diffusion/DiT) with deep understanding of computational bottlenecks and optimization methodologies.
- Proven experience in ≥1 domain: model compression (quantization/knowledge distillation), efficient architectures (MoE/sparse attention), generative alignment (RLHF/DPO).
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills, capable of thriving in a fast-paced work environment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Kaggle competition achievements, publications at ICML/NeurIPS/CVPR, or open-source contributions (e.g., HuggingFace Diffusers optimization).
- Research experience in GenAI /MLsys areas.
- Familiarity with open source deep learning frameworks such as Pytorch/DeepSpeed/Jax etc.
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
COMPENSATION
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $60 - $60.
Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have 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, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
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.
ABOUT TIKTOK
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 we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
WHY JOIN US
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is 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 bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.
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. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. 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
TikTok 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 TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. 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.
TIKTOK ACCOMMODATION
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://tinyurl.com/RA-request
INTRODUCTION
Efficient ML Engineer Research Intern, (AI Platform) - 2026 Start (PhD)
LOCATION
Location: San Jose
EMPLOYMENT TYPE
Employment Type: Regular
JOB CODE
Job Code: A199104A
Responsibilities
TEAM INTRODUCTION
The Vision Engineering Team at TikTok is at the forefront of delivering GenAI technologies directly into the TikTok products worldwide. Leveraging our proprietary AI infrastructures, we streamline the creation, integration, testing, and deployment of the GenAI features. This also encompasses large-scale training stability and optimization for acceleration, as well as large model inference and multi-machine multi-card deployment. Our work enhances user experience by powering diverse functionalities, including visual enhancements, video editing tools, and creative camera filters, both within TikTok and other applications.
We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. PhD Internships at TikTok aim to provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies.
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. It runs for 12 weeks.
PhD internships at TikTok provide students with the opportunity to actively contribute to our products and research, and to the organization's future plans and emerging technologies. Our dynamic internship experience blends hands-on learning, enriching community-building and development events, and collaboration with industry experts.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis - we encourage you to apply early. Please state your availability clearly in your resume (Start date, End date).
- Develop algorithm acceleration technologies for text-to-image/text-to-video models through knowledge distillation, model architecture redesign (dynamic MoE routing/sparse attention), and parameter-efficient design (low-bit quantization) to achieve order-of-magnitude efficiency gains.
- Lead generative model innovation with focus on diffusion acceleration (sampling step reduction/latent optimization), autoregression model efficiency.
- Collaborate cross-functionally to identify performance bottlenecks, optimize vision models via algorithmic breakthroughs, and enhance ByteDance's product capabilities.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, engineering or quantitative field
- Proficient in C++/Python and high-performance coding.
- Expertise in diffusion models (Stable Diffusion/DiT) with deep understanding of computational bottlenecks and optimization methodologies.
- Proven experience in ≥1 domain: model compression (quantization/knowledge distillation), efficient architectures (MoE/sparse attention), generative alignment (RLHF/DPO).
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills, capable of thriving in a fast-paced work environment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Kaggle competition achievements, publications at ICML/NeurIPS/CVPR, or open-source contributions (e.g., HuggingFace Diffusers optimization).
- Research experience in GenAI /MLsys areas.
- Familiarity with open source deep learning frameworks such as Pytorch/DeepSpeed/Jax etc.
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
COMPENSATION
The hourly rate range for this position in the selected city is $60 - $60.
Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have 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, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
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.
ABOUT TIKTOK
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 we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
WHY JOIN US
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is 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 bring joy - a mission we work towards every day.
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. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. 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
TikTok 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 TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. 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.
TIKTOK ACCOMMODATION
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://tinyurl.com/RA-request
See all 200+ ML Engineer jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new ML Engineer roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding J-1 Visa Sponsorship as a ML Engineer
Align your ML specialization with J-1 categories
Research Scholar suits PhD-level ML researchers at universities or labs. Trainee fits early-career professionals with a degree and some work experience. Intern applies to current graduate students. Matching your profile to the right category before applying prevents DS-2019 delays.
Document your ML coursework and project outputs
Designated sponsor organizations require a detailed training plan tied to your field of study. Compile course transcripts, GitHub repositories, published papers, or capstone projects that demonstrate your ML focus before your host employer submits training plan documentation.
Target host employers with existing DS-2019 experience
Search for ML Engineer roles at universities, national labs, and research-driven tech firms that already host J-1 exchange visitors. Use Migrate Mate to filter for U.S. employers and roles aligned with J-1 sponsorship before reaching out.
Clarify the two-year home residency requirement early
Many ML Engineer J-1 participants, particularly Research Scholars funded by government sources, are subject to the two-year home residency requirement under INA Section 212(e). Confirm whether your program triggers this rule before accepting an offer, as it affects future H-1B or green card eligibility.
Verify your host employer can support a training plan
Your host organization must sign a formal training plan with your designated sponsor and demonstrate capacity to supervise your ML work. Confirm this before an offer is extended, since employers unfamiliar with J-1 obligations often withdraw after learning the administrative requirements.
Check DOL wage compliance for your ML role
Although J-1 is not employer-sponsored like H-1B, host employers must pay exchange visitors wages commensurate with similarly situated U.S. workers. Use the OFLC Wage Search and O*NET to benchmark ML Engineer compensation in your target location before negotiating your offer.
ML Engineer jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find ML Engineer JobsML Engineer J-1 Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Which J-1 program category fits an ML Engineer role?
It depends on your career stage. Current graduate students pursuing ML internships fall under the Intern category. Early-career professionals with a relevant degree and at least one year of work experience use the Trainee category. PhD-level researchers joining a university lab or national research institute typically qualify under Research Scholar, which is the most common path for senior ML roles.
Who actually sponsors a J-1 visa for an ML Engineer?
The visa sponsor is a U.S. Department of State-designated organization, such as IIE, CIEE, Cultural Vistas, or AIPT, that issues your DS-2019 and monitors program compliance. Your hiring organization is the host employer, not the sponsor. The host must agree to work with a designated sponsor and sign a training plan, but they do not file any petition directly with USCIS.
How do I find U.S. employers open to hosting a J-1 ML Engineer?
Start with Migrate Mate to identify U.S. employers and ML Engineer roles that align with J-1 sponsorship. Prioritize universities, government-affiliated research institutes, and established tech companies with prior J-1 hosting experience. Smaller startups often lack the internal HR infrastructure to navigate the training plan and designated sponsor relationship.
Does the two-year home residency requirement affect ML Engineers on J-1?
It can. The two-year home residency requirement under INA Section 212(e) applies when your J-1 program is government-funded, your home country lists your field on the exchange visitor skills list, or you enter as a government-sponsored visitor. If it applies, you must return to your home country for two years before obtaining an H-1B or immigrant visa unless you receive a waiver.
Can a J-1 ML Engineer work on independent projects or side contracts during their program?
No. J-1 exchange visitors are authorized to work only for the host employer named on their DS-2019 and only in the capacity described in the training plan. Freelance ML contracts, consulting work, or side projects for other organizations are not permitted during your exchange program, regardless of whether the work is remote or unpaid.
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