Zihao Feng
@zihaofeng
Senior machine learning engineer specializing in large-scale representation learning and generative retrieval.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I am a Senior Machine Learning Engineer with experience building large-scale representation learning, GNN and Transformer systems for production at Snap and Pinterest. I have led initiatives in neural retrieval for ads and social graph representation learning, rebuilt distributed training infrastructure to cut costs, and developed LLM pipelines and generative retrieval methods focused on safe, high-quality recommendations.
My background includes research and applied work across GNNs, Transformers, generative modeling, preference optimization, and multimodal systems combining image and text. I prioritize scalable, robust engineering—optimizing training and inference efficiency, curating high-quality labeled datasets, and aligning models to policy objectives to improve engagement and monetization.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Led social graph representation learning using GNNs and Transformer encoders to improve friending quality and large-scale retrieval; rebuilt distributed graph training infrastructure reducing training costs 3x and inference costs 20x while advancing generative retrieval and LLM pipelines for safe recommendations.
Led development of Pinterest's first neural retrieval models for Shopping Ads using GraphSAGE and two-tower retrieval, migrating major recommendation surfaces to NN-based retrieval and improving engagement and monetization efficiency.
Researched CNN-based texture image retrieval for Adobe Stock, developing methods to improve precision and efficiency of image similarity search.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
UC Berkeley School of Information
Master of Science, Information
2017 - 2019
Completed a master's program focused on information and machine learning topics including representation learning and distributed systems for model training and deployment.
Availability
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Job categories
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