Senior Researcher - Azure Research - Systems

Microsoft

9d

About The Position

Azure Research – Systems (AzRS) is a research group within Azure that advances the limits of software systems for cloud platforms. The group focuses on improving the efficiency of cloud infrastructure across the full hardware and software stack. The team works closely with Azure production teams to deploy research with significant real‑world impact and collaborates with academic and industry partners to advance the state of the art. The group also engages with the broader research community through publications in leading Computer Science venues, blog posts, open‑source contributions, patents, and participation in conferences, while providing a collaborative, supportive, inclusive, and respectful environment for engineers and researchers working on complex computing challenges.
The team is seeking a Senior Researcher IC4 to improve the efficiency of artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud infrastructure across multiple layers of the stack, including AI system software, innovative hardware, datacenter infrastructure, and its interaction with power grids, for both inference and training. The work uses algorithmic, systems, and architecture techniques to enhance performance, power efficiency, and energy efficiency across the infrastructure supporting current AI advancements.
In this role, you will collaborate with researchers, engineers, industry partners, and workload owners to drive an ambitious research agenda aimed at advancing the state of the art and influencing production systems. You will have opportunities to mentor new team members and research interns, propose and publish cutting‑edge research in computer systems, and gain insight into the inner workings of a hyperscale cloud. The position offers substantial opportunities for growth, learning, and visibility, and is well suited for individuals who thrive in environments focused on innovation and fast‑paced execution.
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

• Doctorate in relevant field OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 4+ years related research experience.
• OR equivalent experience.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Doctorate in relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience
• OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 6+ years related research experience
• OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 8+ 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.
• 2+ years of experience in research program demonstrated by one or more publications in top conferences/journals (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ISCA, MICRO, ASPLOS, HPCA, SOSP, OSDI, NSDI, etc.)
• Experience optimizing AI infrastructure across system software, hardware, and datacenter environments for large-scale training and inference.
• Research background in power-efficient AI systems, including hardware–software co-design and datacenter power integration.

Responsibilities

• Advance a research agenda through one or more research projects, with the goal of advancing the state of the art and having impact in production. The research will yield new algorithms, prototypes, insights, and more.
• Collaborate with members of the group and relevant product or business groups to help translate research results and prototypes into production impact.
• Publish and contribute to top scientific conferences and journals.
• Establish collaborative relationships with relevant product and business groups inside or outside of Microsoft and provide expertise or technology to them.
• Mentor team members in processes and scenarios, research projects, and their careers.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree