Applied Scientist

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

About The Position

Do you want to be part of a team which delivers innovative products and machine learning solutions across Microsoft to hundreds of millions of users every month? Microsoft Search Relevance team is at the forefront of the core copilot experiences across Microsoft products including Copilot Chat and Search accelerating productivity to help users find the right information in their organization. As an applied scientist in Microsoft Search Relevance team, you will work with other scientists to solve challenging problems that can delight Copilot Search and Chat users. Some high-level examples include model adaptation of the state-of-the-art vector search algorithm into an enterprise domain and applying advanced ML to improve the retrieval quality of business-critical information by jointly optimizing query understanding and the retrieval algorithm. You will also be deeply involved with a platform team to accelerate the speed of evaluation of the retrieval algorithms at scale. 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.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 2+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field OR equivalent experience.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
OR equivalent experience.
1+ year(s) experience creating publications (e.g., patents, peer-reviewed academic papers).
1+ year(s) experience working with large-scale datasets
Experience with Information Retrieval
Experience with NLP

Responsibilities

Researches and develops an understanding of tools, technologies, and methods being used in the community that can be utilized to improve M365 Copilot Chat and Search quality, performance, or efficiency.
Contributes knowledge around several specialized tools/methods to support the application of business impact or serves as an expert in a deeply specialized area.
Gains deep knowledge in M365 Copilot Search service and acquires knowledge of changes in industry trends and advances in applied technologies.
Consults with engineers and product teams to apply the advanced concepts to M365 Copilot Search quality improvement.
Collaborates to leverage data to identify pockets of opportunity to apply state-of-the-art algorithms to improve the search quality of M365 Copilot.
Uses statistical analysis tools for evaluating the behaviors of deployed models and validating assumptions about the evaluation results, collaborating with other senior team members, building and communicating insights.
Gains expertise in search relevance, NLP, and data-driven insights, and understands the corresponding literature and applicable research techniques.
Uses understanding of approaches to identify techniques and works to create product impact.
Identifies approach, and applies, improves, or creates a research-backed solution (e.g., novel, data driven, scalable, extendable) to positively impact M365 Copilot Chat and Search quality.
Participates in collaborative relationships with relevant product and business groups in Microsoft and provides expertise or technology to create business impact.
Participates in authoring white papers, developing or maintaining tools/services for internal Microsoft use, or consulting for product or business groups.
May publish research to promote receiving new intellectual property for business impact.