Senior Applied Scientist

Overview

As Microsoft continues to push the boundaries of AI, we are looking for passionate individuals to work with us on Microsoft 365 Copilot, a groundbreaking productivity tool that leverages the power of large language models, the Microsoft Graph, and the web to drive unparalleled creativity and transform productivity in the enterprise.

We’re looking for a Senior Applied Scientist with deep expertise in applied AI and a strong track record of delivering intelligent, user-facing experiences at scale. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of enterprise productivity using LLMs in BizChat and Researcher, flagship products in the Microsoft portfolio, serving millions of users.

You’ll join a fast-paced, collaborative environment that brings together talent from across Microsoft, including Microsoft Research, to push the boundaries of what’s possible with LLMs, reasoning systems, and real-time orchestration platforms.

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

• Advance the science: Design and run experiments, define and validate metrics, and develop ML pipelines and models in areas like reinforcement learning, reasoning and Chain-of-Thought (CoT) optimization, and LLMs, all while upholding best practices in Responsible AI and Privacy-Preserving ML.
• Drive product innovation: Partner with Engineering, PM, and Design to translate product vision and industry trends into scalable, reliable, and agile architecture.
• Collaborate across Microsoft: Work closely with Microsoft Research, Azure, AI platform teams, and product groups to bring cutting-edge AI into real-world applications.
• Champion customer impact: Engage with customers and internal teams to deeply understand pain points and drive improvements that matter.
• Lead and mentor: Provide technical leadership to junior scientists and engineers, and scale your learnings across the broader product group.
• Define success: Establish and evolve success metrics that reflect platform and product growth.
• Stay ahead: Keep up with the latest research and foster a thriving applied science culture. Publishing is encouraged, though not required.
  
  

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• PhD AND 3+ years experience
• OR Master's AND 4+ years experience
• OR Bachelor's AND 6+ years experience
• Fields: Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Electrical or System Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• Confirmed experience training/fine tuning AI/ML models, preferably LLMs/SLMs (small language models). 
• Proven experience with productization or shipping ML and/or AI components at internet scale. 
• Proficient years of Python coding skill.
  
  

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

• Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
• OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
• OR equivalent experience.
  

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.