Principal Research Scientist
Microsoft
140k - 304k USD/year
Office
Redmond, Washington, United States
Full Time
The Data and AI team in Microsoft CoreAI is working on the future of AI for Developers! We are a diverse, entrepreneurial and multi-disciplinary group of scientists, researchers and engineers with passion for using AI to improve the productivity of millions of developers around the world. We have released AI for code advancements in Github Copilot through VSCode, Visual Studio, Github.com and Azure.
We are seeking an entrepreneurial and creative Principal Research Scientist to lead cutting-edge projects from concept to product. In this role, you will collaborate with scientists, engineers, and designers across Microsoft Research, Microsoft product teams, and GitHub. You will have the opportunity to build and train state-of-the-art models, apply and advance techniques for leveraging LLMs in software engineering, including RAG and evaluation, and partner closely with developer product teams to run large scale experiments, evaluate results, and continuously improve AI solutions.
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
- Lead the development and evaluation of state-of-the-art models for code completion and editing, pushing the boundaries of code understanding, generation, fix and review.
- Develop retrieval-augmented systems that improve a model’s awareness of large and complex codebases, enabling context-rich code assistance.
- Design and prototype efficient inference algorithms to enable fast, interactive code generation experiences at scale.
- Collaborate across disciplines with product teams across Microsoft and Github
- Stay up to date with the research literature and product advances in AI for software engineering
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Doctorate in relevant field AND 3+ years related-research experience OR equivalent experience.
- 2+ years of experience in productizing machine learning models.
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:
- PhD degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Physics/Math, or related fields.
- Required communication skills, ability to write and present research papers.
Research Sciences 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
Microsoft posts positions 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, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.
Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.
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Principal Research Scientist
Office
Redmond, Washington, United States
Full Time
140k - 304k USD/year
August 15, 2025