Principal Researcher

Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come to collaborate, envision what can be and take their careers further. This is a world of more possibilities, more innovation, more openness, and the sky is the limit thinking in a cloud-enabled world.

Microsoft's Azure Data engineering team is leading the transformation of analytics in the world of data with products like databases, data integration, big data analytics, messaging & real-time analytics, and business intelligence. The products our portfolio include Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure PostgreSQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Grid, and Power BI. Our mission is to build the data platform for the age of AI, powering a new class of data-first applications and driving a data culture.

Within Azure Data, the databases team builds and maintains Microsoft's operational Database systems. We store and manage data in a structured way to enable multitude of applications across various industries. We are on a journey to enable developer friendly, mission-critical, AI enabled operational Databases across relational, non-relational and OSS (open source systems) offerings.

We are hiring a Principal Researcher with expertise in the area of dense retrieval and ranking. The role would involve developing the state-of-the-art techniques in these areas and advising the team on designing and prototyping systems.

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.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities:

• Serves as a top industry/academic leader and accomplished in a broad area of research (dense retrieval and ranking) or gains unique knowledge in a specific area of research. Understands the corresponding literature, applicable research techniques, and business and academic context.
• Identifies gaps and determines which state-of-the-art insights, tools, technologies, or methods to incorporate into research pipelines to ensure quality, scientific rigor, and ethical best practices. Supports the development and implementation of new or modified tools, technologies, and methods within a research pipeline. Applies deep subject matter knowledge around a broad array of specialized tools/methods to support planning for research projects.
• Expands collaborative relationships with product or business group leaders inside or outside Microsoft. Contributes to product or business group decisions at a strategic level by sharing input and knowledge. Creates a measurable impact on the business.
• Proactively provides mentorship and coaching to less experienced and mid-level team members (e.g., interns, early-in-career researchers, researchers, Ph.D. candidates) by sharing expertise to build team capabilities and guiding team members in research projects and their careers. Represents Microsoft externally to grow network and attract/cultivate talent and desired capabilities. Helps to develop a capability strategy that serves long-term research objectives and attracts/cultivates talent and desired capabilities.
• Leads a collaborative research effort (possibly spanning multiple teams/Universities inside and outside of Microsoft) to advance a long-term research agenda through multiple projects, yielding new algorithms, prototypes, theories, tools, methods, analyses, insights, or collections of data in one or more subareas or a broad area of research to create societal impact.

Embody our culture and values

Qualifications:

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate in relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience
  • OR equivalent experience.

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/Additional Qualifications

• Doctorate in relevant field AND 5+ 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.

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $137,600 - $267,000 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 $180,400 - $294,000 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 September 9, 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.

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