Overview

Microsoft Research (MSR) AI Frontiers lab is seeking applications for the position of Principal Research Engineer – Multimodal AI to join their team in Redmond, WA or New York City, NY.

We are seeking a Principal Research Engineer – Multimodal AI to join our team and lead engineering efforts on the advancement of Generative AI and Multimodal Model (MLM) technologies.  As a Principal Research Engineer, you will play a crucial role in developing, improving, and exploring the capabilities of Multimodal AI and agentic models. Your work will have a significant impact on the development of cutting-edge technologies, advancing state-of-the-art and providing practical solutions to real-world problems.  

Our ongoing research areas encompass but are not limited to:

Reasoning method for Multimodal models
New multimodal model architectures and training methods
Action models for automating web and computer tasks
Orchestration and multi-agent systems: automated orchestration between multiple agents incorporating human feedback and oversight
Evaluation and Understanding of model and agent capabilities

The AI Frontiers lab at Microsoft Research is charted with ambitious research goals for advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities in several key areas including modeling, algorithms, reasoning and agentic AI. Our lab offers a vibrant environment for cutting-edge multidisciplinary research, including an open publication policy and close links to top academic institutions around the world.

At Microsoft, our mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress—people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.

Responsibilities

As a Principal Research Engineer in AI Frontiers, you will design, develop, execute, and implement technology research projects in collaboration with other researchers, engineers, and product groups.
As a member of a word-class research organization, you will be a part of research breakthroughs in the field and play a crucial role in developing, improving, and exploring the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs), reasoning and agentic AI.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications 

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications 

2+ year(s) experience developing with Python and Pytorch/JAX.
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 12+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- OR Master's or Doctorate in Computer Science or relevant field AND 10+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.
Experience with architecture and optimizations for large language models.
Hands-on work in debugging and profiling Pytorch distributed code.
Understanding of working of CUDA kernels.
Experience with pre-training, mid-training and/or post-training pipelines for language and/or multimodal models.
Foundational understanding of reinforcement learning and key challenges in the field.
Experience with verl, Ray, Megatron and/or vLLM is a significant plus.
Any experience in building scalable services can be highly complementary.

#Research

Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 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 $188,000 - $304,200 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

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.

Principal Research Engineer - Multimodal AI - Microsoft Research AI Frontiers