The CoreAI organization at Microsoft builds the end-to-end Artificial Intelligence (AI) stack and is core to Azure AI innovation and differentiation, as well as all of Microsoft’s flagship products, from GitHub, to Office, Teams, and Xbox. We are the team building Responsible AI, Azure OpenAI, Model as a Service, Azure Machine Learning (ML), Cognitive Services, and the global Azure AI infrastructure for running the largest AI workloads on the planet.
We ensure Microsoft ships AI systems that are safe, secure, and trustworthy—empowering every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. Our team sits at the intersection of cutting-edge AI research and planet-scale production systems, powering technologies like GitHub Copilot and Azure OpenAI. We are looking for a Principal Applied Scientist to join our team!
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.
In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.
Responsibilities
In this role you’ll develop machine learning techniques that push the boundaries of safety, alignment, and trustworthy AI. You’ll collaborate across product, research, and engineering teams to design, build, and maintain responsible AI systems that make an impact at scale—from early-stage development and experimentation to production, monitoring, and continuous iteration.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR Doctorate in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
- OR equivalent experience.
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:
- Experience and familiarity with large language models (LLMs).
- Experience with and a solid foundation in large distributed systems, algorithms, and software engineering principles.
- Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in a research/ML engineering or an applied research scientist position, ideally with a focus on AI safety.
- Have hands-on experience with deep learning and transformer-based models
- Excel at problem-solving and analytics, with a proactive approach to challenges
- Thrive in fast-moving environments where priorities shift and definitions evolve.
- Enjoy taking ownership end-to-end and learning whatever is necessary to get results.
- Comfortable working independently while thriving in cross-team collaborations.
- Understand methods for training and fine-tuning LLMs, including distillation, supervised fine-tuning, and policy optimization.
#coreai
Applied Sciences IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $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
Applied Sciences IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $165,600 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computational Linguistics, or related field AND 6+ years related experience OR Master's degree AND 4+ years OR Doctorate AND 3+ years OR equivalent experience.
- Experience in statistics, predictive analytics, or research.
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements.
- Pass Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire and every two years thereafter.
- Experience and familiarity with large language models (LLMs).
- Hands-on experience with deep learning and transformer-based models.
- Experience with large distributed systems, algorithms, and software engineering principles.
- Understanding of methods for training and fine-tuning LLMs, including distillation, supervised fine-tuning, and policy optimization.
- 5+ years of experience in research/ML engineering or applied research scientist roles, ideally focused on AI safety.
- Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field.
Microsoft Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Microsoft and has not been reviewed or approved by Microsoft.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is presented as broadly competitive overall, with clear role/level/location variation and an emphasis on using posted ranges and band information for apples-to-apples comparisons.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as a standout, highlighted by a strong 401(k) match structure and immediate vesting, plus additional plan features for tax-advantaged saving.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are portrayed as a meaningful strength, with substantial paid parental leave and added supports like back-up care and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
Microsoft Insights
What We Do
At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.
