Senior Researcher - Machine Learning & Statistics - Microsoft Research

Microsoft • Cambridge, MA

5d • $119,800 - $261,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Microsoft Research New England in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is hiring a Senior Researcher in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and related fields. The lab welcomes candidates nearing completion of a relevant Ph.D., recent Ph.D. or postdoctoral graduates, and people with comparable research experience. Its research spans theoretical and applied work. Current areas of focus include the science of deep learning and generative AI, post-training, data curation and synthesis, test-time scaling, and new model architectures and training paradigms; these examples are not exhaustive.

Researchers have access to large and small data sources, an open publication policy, and connections with leading academic institutions. The role is suited to someone who can define and pursue an independent research program and has demonstrated research impact through publications at leading venues. The interdisciplinary Microsoft Research New England community includes researchers, postdoctoral researchers, data scientists, engineers, and program managers working across machine learning, statistics, healthcare, computational biology, theoretical computer science, algorithmic game theory, economics, and other areas. The lab encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration and maintains active connections with academic and technology communities in Cambridge and Boston.

Requirements

• Doctorate in a relevant field, or a master's degree in a relevant field and at least 3 years of related research experience, or a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and at least 4 years of related research experience, or equivalent experience.
• Submit a resume or CV.
• Submit 1 or 2 writing samples as separate application attachments, such as conference or journal articles, book chapters, blog posts, technical reports, or equivalent work; unpublished work may be submitted.
• Submit a cover letter of no more than 2 pages outlining technical achievements and future goals.
• Provide contact information for 2 or 3 reference letter writers.

Nice To Haves

• Experience running large-scale experiments with transformer or LLM pre-training and/or fine-tuning.
• Experience creating, optimizing, and running large-scale machine-learning pipelines.
• Experience building data collection and curation pipelines.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and work as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Interest in real-world applications and impact.
• Reference letters, though they are not mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Help define and lead an independent research agenda spanning fundamental and applied work.
• Collaborate with researchers, engineers, and colleagues across disciplines, helping shape ongoing and future projects.
• Contribute to large-scale research efforts.
• Develop new ideas, conduct rigorous research, publish influential results, and explore opportunities for research to inform products and services used worldwide.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior