Data Scientist Intern (TikTok Shop User Product DS) - 2026 Start (PhD)

Responsibilities

TikTok's Global E-commerce Data Science team powers TikTok Shop by building analytical frameworks and product metrics to drive growth, improve operational efficiency, and optimize the buyer, seller, and creator experiences across regions. They identify trends, user or merchant behavior patterns, and opportunities for business optimization through exploratory analysis and proactive insights generation. The team designs and interprets A/B tests and causal experiments to inform product improvements for user growth, transaction funnels, and feature adoption. They also develop dashboards and data pipelines that enable cross-functional teams-Product, Operations, and Engineering-to monitor product performance and implement data-driven changes easily. TikTok sets a culture focused on statistical rigor, ownership, and scalable machine learning methods in e-commerce decision-making at global scale. 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. 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). Summer Start Dates: - May 11th, 2026 - May 18th, 2026 - May 26th, 2026 - June 8th, 2026 - June 22nd, 2026 Online Assessment Candidates who pass resume screening will be invited to participate in TikTok's technical online assessment Responsibilities: - Analyze product usage and engagement data (e.g., retention, conversion, feature adoption) to identify trends and actionable insights; - Support design and evaluation of A/B tests or feature experiments; compute lift, assess statistical significance, and help interpret outcomes; - Conduct exploratory data analysis using SQL and Python to detect patterns, anomalies, or feature-driven behaviors; - Create dashboards, visualizations, and summary reports to communicate findings to product, engineering, and design teams; - Collaborate cross-functionally with product managers and engineers to implement metrics and iterate on insights; document analysis and methodologies.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: - Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Econometrics, Mathematics or other quantitative disciplines; - Proficient in data analysis tools and languages such as SQL, Python, or R; - Practical experience with data querying and scripting languages (e.g. SQL, Python, R) and basic statistical/data analysis tools; - Familiar with statistical modeling, A/B testing, or experiment design concepts, drawn from coursework, projects, or internships. Preferred Qualifications: - Familiarity with machine learning frameworks or predictive modeling; - Prior internship or project experience in product analytics, A/B testing, or data science roles; - Strong communication, collaboration, and storytelling skills - able to translate technical findings into product recommendations. By submitting an application for this role, you accept and agree to our global applicant privacy policy, which may be accessed here: If you have any questions, please reach out to us at

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 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