Senior Applied Scientist

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.