Senior Researcher

The Applied Sciences Group (ASG) at Microsoft drives influential research in efficient AI, frequently recognized in prestigious media outlets and presented at top-tier conferences. The team consistently contributes to real-world on-device AI solutions, optimizing efficiency and expanding capabilities, particularly on Neural Processing Units (NPUs). ASG is hiring a Senior Researcher to lead pioneering research and development in efficient AI.

As a Senior Researcher, you will work on advancing efficient deep neural network (DNN) distillation, design, and inference acceleration across diverse model types, from computer vision to large language models. You will have the opportunity to further this team’s mission to develop next-generation efficient AI technologies and infrastructures that benefit both Microsoft and the broader AI community.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Exhibit a strong commitment to rigorous evaluation, innovation, and deep understanding of foundational efficient AI technologies.
• Lead research and development of cutting-edge efficient AI technologies and infrastructures.
• Collaborate with product teams to deliver impactful, on-device AI products optimized for real-world applications. 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Doctorate in relevant field
  • OR equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of experience in Python.
• 2+ years of experience with machine learning frameworks such as Pytorch and Tensorflow.
• Experience collaborating and working effectively with other researchers and developers across disciplinary boundaries.

Other Requirements

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate in relevant field AND 2+ years related research experience
  • OR equivalent experience.
• Experience publishing academic papers as a lead author or essential contributor.
• Experience participating in a top conference in relevant research domain.
• Previous experience in development for research projects that fall into one of the following, DNN efficient distillation, fine-tuning, and inference speed-up.
• Published on top-tier AI conference (NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, CVPR , EMNLP, ACL, etc.) as primary authors.

Research Sciences IC4 – The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $117,200 – $229,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $153,600 – $250,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 12, 2024

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.