Senior Research Engineer / Scientist - AI for Databases

2 Months ago • 4-8 Years • Research Development • $184,300 PA - $337,250 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

ByteDance seeks a Senior Research Engineer/Scientist for its AI4DB team. This role involves designing and implementing intelligent systems to enhance database performance, scalability, and usability. Responsibilities include developing AI/ML algorithms for query planning, indexing, storage management, and workload prediction; integrating AI models into production systems; analyzing large-scale datasets; and publishing research findings in top-tier conferences. The ideal candidate possesses a PhD in a relevant field, a strong publication record in AI4DB, database internals expertise, and experience with machine learning frameworks. Collaboration with data infrastructure and engineering teams is crucial. Opportunities for open-source contributions and participation in leading conferences are available.
Must have:
  • PhD in relevant field
  • Strong publication record in AI4DB
  • Database internals expertise
  • Machine learning framework experience
  • Develop AI/ML algorithms
  • Integrate AI models into production
Good to have:
  • Proficiency in Python, C++, or Java
  • Experience with cloud database platforms
  • LLM, reinforcement learning, or automated database tuning experience
Perks:
  • Competitive compensation
  • Strong research support
  • Innovation-driven environment
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) savings plan
  • Paid parental leave
  • Paid time off

Job Details

Responsibilities
About the Team The Infrastructure System Lab is a hybrid research and engineering team dedicated to building the next generation of AI-native data infrastructure. Operating at the crossroads of databases, large-scale systems, and AI, the team innovates across multiple domains, including advanced VectorDBs and multi-modal databases for large-scale retrieval and reasoning, intelligent infrastructure optimization using machine learning, LLM-based developer tools like NL2SQL and NL2Chart, and high-performance cache systems for distributed storage and LLM inference. The lab is deeply collaborative, with researchers and engineers working side by side to turn groundbreaking ideas into production-ready systems. Their work is deployed at scale, powering products used by millions, and frequently shared through publications and open-source contributions. About the Role We are looking for a passionate and skilled professional to join our AI4DB team, where artificial intelligence meets cutting-edge database technology. In this role, you will design and implement intelligent systems that improve the performance, scalability, and usability of modern databases. Your work will span query optimization, indexing strategies, workload forecasting, and the development of self-managing databases. This role offers the chance to solve complex, high-impact problems at the intersection of AI, systems, and software engineering, while collaborating with a top-tier team. You'll have opportunities to publish, contribute to open-source, attend leading conferences, and benefit from competitive compensation, strong research support, and an innovation-driven environment. Responsibilities - Conduct research and development in applying AI/ML techniques to database management systems. - Develop intelligent algorithms for tasks such as query planning, indexing, storage management, and workload prediction/scheduling. - Collaborate with data infrastructure and engineering teams to integrate AI models into production systems. - Analyze large-scale datasets from database workloads to uncover optimization opportunities. - Publish findings in top-tier conferences and journals (VLDB, SIGMOD, ICDE, NeurIPS, etc.). - Contribute to open-source projects or internal tools supporting AI-enhanced databases.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications - PhD in Computer Science, Data Science or a related field with a focus on databases, systems, or machine learning. - Strong publication record in top-tier venues (e.g., SIGMOD, VLDB, ICDE, NeurIPS, etc.) related to the AI4DB area. - Strong background in database internals (e.g., PostgreSQL, MySQL, or any modern cloud-native databases or BigData platform). - Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks (e.g. XGBoost, LightGBM, TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn). Preferred Qualifications - Proficiency in Python, C++, or Java. - Experience with cloud database platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) is a plus. - Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. - Familiarity with LLM, reinforcement learning, neural architecture search, or automated database tuning.
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $184300 - $337250 annually.

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:

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 Us

Founded in 2012, ByteDance's mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. With a suite of more than a dozen products, including TikTok, Lemon8, CapCut and Pico as well as platforms specific to the China market, including Toutiao, Douyin, and Xigua, ByteDance has made it easier and more fun for people to connect with, consume, and create content.

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

Similar Jobs

Samsung Semiconductor - Staff Engineer, CPU Design Verification

Samsung Semiconductor

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Ion - SharePoint & C# Developer, Italy

Ion

Italy (Hybrid)
8 Months ago
Enphase Energy - Engineer - Customer Service - German

Enphase Energy

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Hawkeye Innovations - Match Operations Assistant - Newcastle

Hawkeye Innovations

Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Nagarro - Senior Staff Engineer - SAP FICO S/4Hana Solution Advisor

Nagarro

United States (Remote)
8 Months ago
CyberArk - R&D Manager for IGA group

CyberArk

Israel (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Keywords Studios - Research Associate - AI

Keywords Studios

(Remote)
3 Months ago
Apple - Applied Research Engineer - Multimodal Reasoning, SIML

Apple

Cupertino, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Netflix - Researcher, Japan

Netflix

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Apple - Neuro R&D Engineer

Apple

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

WongDoody - PRODUCT SERVICE DESIGNER, HONG KONG

WongDoody

Taipei City, Taiwan (On-Site)
9 Months ago
Alphawave Semi - Assistant Manager - Finance

Alphawave Semi

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Synechron - V+/Mainframes Developer (CMS and FAS Modules)

Synechron

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Global Business Travel - EUC Engineer

Global Business Travel

India (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Qualcomm - Engineer- Graphics

Qualcomm

Hyderabad, Telangana, India (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Riot Games - Senior Software Engineer - GTG.Production AI

Riot Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Dream Games - Procurement Specialist

Dream Games

İstanbul, Türkiye (On-Site)
11 Months ago
Qube Cinema - Senior Executive - QCN Sales

Qube Cinema

Kollam, Kerala, India (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Varonis  - Senior MDR Analyst (Level 3)

Varonis

Herzliya, Tel Aviv District, Israel (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
PwC - Strategy and Operations Consultant, Associate

PwC

Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand (On-Site)
9 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Seattle, Washington, United States

Riot Games - Staff Software Engineer, Gameplay/Characters - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Ansys - R&D Engineer II (Meshing)

Ansys

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Glocomms - Staff/Senior Software Engineer

Glocomms

San Francisco, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Star schema - Delivery Driver

Star schema

Lemoore, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Weeks ago
Star schema - Assistant Manager

Star schema

Ocean City, Maryland, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Riot Games - Principal Software Engineer, Services

Riot Games

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Coherent corp. - Manager, Procurement

Coherent corp.

Sherman, Texas, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Netflix - Manager/Counsel, Business and Legal Affairs - Original Series // Drama

Netflix

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
JDA - Staff Security Engineer

JDA

Dallas, Texas, United States (Hybrid)
3 Weeks ago
moon shine game studios - Senior Software Engineer, Atlas Data Federation

moon shine game studios

United States (On-Site)
2 Weeks ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Research Development Jobs

Hedra - Machine Learning Engineer (CUDA)

Hedra

San Francisco, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
bytedance - Research Scientist, Cloud & AI Computing - DPU/GPU/CPU

bytedance

Seattle, Washington, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
London stock Exchange - Lead Research Analyst (Vietnamese language)

London stock Exchange

Penang, Malaysia (On-Site)
3 Weeks ago
Sony Interactive Entertainment - Learning & Development Specialist (AI Talent Development & Training Program Lead)

Sony Interactive Entertainment

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Zoe - Lead Machine Learning Engineer

Zoe

(Remote)
1 Month ago
Putnam - Analyst, Advisory Research Consulting

Putnam

Gurugram, India (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Imanage - Senior AI Software Engineer

Imanage

Chicago, Illinois, United States (Hybrid)
4 Months ago
Morning Star - Senior Software Development Engineer, ML Operations

Morning Star

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
broadcom - R&D IDMS Software Engineer

broadcom

Plano, Texas, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
bytedance - Software Engineer, Machine Learning Training

bytedance

Singapore (On-Site)
2 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

Founded in 2012, ByteDance's mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. With a suite of more than a dozen products, including TikTok as well as platforms specific to the China market, including Toutiao, Douyin, and Xigua, ByteDance has made it easier and more fun for people to connect with, consume, and create content.

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)

Seattle, Washington, United States (On-Site)

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by bytedance

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug