Optical Engineer Intern (PICO) - 2026 Summer (PhD)

Bytedance • San Jose, CA

3d • $55 - $55

About The Position

Founded in 2012, ByteDance is a technology company operating a range of content platforms that inform, educate, entertain and inspire people across languages, cultures and geographies. With a suite of more than a dozen products, including TikTok, Douyin, Toutiao, Helo and Resso, ByteDance now has a portfolio of applications available in over 150 markets and 75 languages. As a world-renowned VR/AR brand with independent innovation and R D capabilities, Pico has been at the forefront of the consumer electronic market. We are looking for creative and passionate optical engineer interns to join us build our AR/VR display optics system team. You will be working with top-notch engineers and scientists to explore and define the frontier of technology for the future of AR/VR. We are looking for talented individuals to join us for an internship in 2026. PhD Internships at ByteDance 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 ByteDance 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).

Requirements

• Ph.D. student or postdoc in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline or equivalent experience.
• Knowledge and experience in at least one of the following: Imaging optics design, ray-tracking algorithm, electromagnetic simulation, stray light molding and analysis, image quality evaluation, Polarization, Visual Optics, or Optical testing and metrology.
• Knowledge and experience in programming languages such as Python, C++.
• Strong learning and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Previous internship experience in AR/VR, optics, or the consumer electronics industry.
• Proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams (e.g., ME, EE, SW) or external partners.
• Strong communication skills to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• - Develop optical design and simulation software for AR/VR display optics systems.
• - Develop optical system prototypes (bench-top and head-mounted) to inform design and manufacturing decisions.
• - Work closely with internal technology teams and external industry partners to develop advanced optical technologies.
• - Communicate design and development progress across collaboration teams.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees