Overview

Microsoft 365 Copilot is a groundbreaking productivity tool that leverages the power of large language models, user data, Microsoft Graph, and the web to drive unparalleled creativity and productivity. At the heart of this innovation is the Office AI Platform team, which plays a crucial role in the aid of development of Copilot experiences in Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and assists teams across Microsoft. We own the infrastructure and base AI platform that enables complex orchestration of Copilot workflows to put powerful AI capabilities at the user’s fingertips.  

We leverage the most advanced, large language models (LLMs) to develop cutting-edge Copilot experiences. We are hands-on, assist our partner teams in their ML efforts and set guidance on best practices through detailed experimentation and research. We have important AI skills like PPT Summary, Q&A, Podcast generation, among others. We have shipped the first fine-tuned model for M365 and are working on multiple fine-tuning scenarios for o3, CUA, and others.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Applied Scientist with expertise in machine learning. As a Senior Applied Scientist in Office AI, you would work in an exciting and fast-paced environment, collaborating closely with teams across the company, including Microsoft Research and various product groups. You will work as part of an organization that brings together talent in the areas of large language models, deep learning, information retrieval, software engineering, and responsible AI. We value and encourage diversity in the belief that it leads to both great workplaces and great products. 

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

Research and develop an understanding of the state-of-the-art tools, technologies, and methods being used in the research community and product groups. 
Advance research agenda through one or more projects, yielding new algorithms, prototypes, theories, tools, methods, or collections of data.
Drive the team's strategic vision and align it with the overall company objectives.
Collaborate with stakeholders to define project goals, success criteria, and deliverables.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics predictive analytics, research)
- OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR equivalent experience.

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.
4+ years of professional experience in SQL, R, Python, or related tools for large-scale analysis.   
4+ years leveraging the practical uses of statistics (i.e. experimentation, sampling).  
3+ years experience conducting research as part of a research program (in academic or industry settings).
3+ years experience creating publications (e.g., patents, libraries, peer-reviewed academic papers).
1+ year(s) experience developing and deploying live production systems, as part of a product team.
1+ year(s) experience developing and deploying products or systems at multiple points in the product cycle from ideation to shipping.
4+ years with leveraging passion for & understand the need to deliver the right business impact by working with stakeholders to turn business problems into data analysis questions and unearthing deep insights from data.   
Experience presenting at conferences or other events in the outside research/industry community as an invited speaker.
Have a track record of innovative thinking and problem-solving skills using Big Data.  
Be self-driven and show the ability to deliver on ambiguous projects with incomplete data.  
Professional experience with large-scale computing systems like PyTorch, DeepSpeed, Ray and/or similar systems.    
Demonstrates clear communication and effective interpersonal abilities
Ability to convince other strong personalities of their ideas and communicate complex analysis & insights to a non-technical audience.
Experience with large language model, retrieved-augmented generation, and reinforcement learning

Applied Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 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

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.

Senior Machine Learning Scientist