Principal Applied Scientist

Overview

Microsoft AI Organization aims to the best user experience for Web Search, Advertisement, Cloud, and Enterprise services. The Search Experience Group in Microsoft AI has more than 400 scientists and engineers, working on various NLP/Multi-modal techniques and applications.
We're looking for passionate and experienced engineers and scientists to help us on our mission of employing deep learning to understand all the data on the web - the largest store of information in human history. With this understanding we power end-user experiences across a variety of NLP/Multi-modal related areas, especiallyBuild up the world-class AI systems with novel NLP techniques and engineering excellence.Explore cutting-edge AI technology and deliver both research and production impact.

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.  
Starting January 26, 2026, Microsoft AI (MAI) employees who live within a 50- mile commute of a designated Microsoft office in the U.S. or 25-mile commute of a non-U.S., country-specific location are expected to work from the office at least four days per week. This expectation is subject to local law and may vary by jurisdiction.

Responsibilities

• Drive core technologies and E2E production delivery by leveraging State-of-Art AI technologies (especially LLMs).
• Address challenges in products through Deep Learning and Reinforcement Learning approaches and transfer novel ideas to production applications.
• Develop deep learning models for Microsoft AI scenarios, including generative search and answers, knowledge experience, et al.
• Push the envelope on deep learning by:
• Defining problems and establishing metrics
• Gathering training data at scale
• Exploring model design and architecture
• Exploring learning objectives and tasks.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor'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 Master'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 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.
• Experiences in applying deep learning, LLM, RAG techniques and drive E2E AI product development.
• 4+ years of working experience in NLP/search related areas.
• Passionate and self-motivated.
• Good communication skills, both verbal and written.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 9+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
  • OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
  • OR equivalent experience.

• 5+ years of working experience in NLP/search related areas.
• Good experience in LLM post-train, finetuning.
• Experience in RAG system.
• Solid problem-solving skills, and ability to work independently.

 

#MicrosoftAI

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

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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.