The Security Research Group at Microsoft Research Redmond is pushing the boundaries of data‑driven security. By leveraging the massive volume and diversity of security‑relevant events observed across Microsoft’s platforms and customer environments, our mission is to detect security breaches accurately, quickly, and at an unprecedented scale.
In this role as a Senior Researcher - Security, you will work alongside leading researchers and engineers to design and build next‑generation intrusion detection systems. Our work combines security expertise with advanced data processing and modeling techniques—including large‑scale streaming analytics and graph‑based representations—to enable near‑real‑time detection of sophisticated attacks.
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Responsibilities
- Analyze large‑scale, heterogeneous security event logs spanning endpoints, identities, cloud services, and networks.
- Develop and train novel machine learning and statistical models for intrusion detection, anomaly detection, and adversarial behavior discovery.
- Design and prototype scalable data processing and analytics platforms capable of operating on high‑volume, high‑velocity security data, with a focus on low‑latency detection.
- Explore and apply advanced techniques such as graph‑based modeling, streaming computation, and representation learning to improve detection accuracy and timeliness.
- Collaborate closely with other researchers, product teams, and engineering partners to transition research ideas into practical systems with real‑world impact.
- Publish and present research results in top security, systems, and data management venues, and contribute to Microsoft’s broader security strategy.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Doctorate in relevant field
- OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience
- OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 4+ years related research experience
- OR equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- A PhD (or equivalent experience) in computer science or a related field, with a research background in security, machine learning, data mining, systems, or a closely related area.
- Experience working with large‑scale data, including log analysis, streaming data, or distributed data processing systems.
- Demonstrated foundations in machine learning or statistical modeling, and interest in applying these techniques to real‑world security problems.
- The ability to independently drive research projects from problem formulation through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination.
- A collaborative mindset and interest in bridging foundational research and deployed security systems.
Research 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 $160,200 - $261,000 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.
Skills Required
- Doctorate in a relevant field
- Master's degree in a relevant field and 3 or more years of related research experience
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field and 4 or more years of related research experience
- Equivalent relevant experience
- PhD or equivalent experience in computer science or a related field, with research experience in security, machine learning, data mining, systems, or a closely related area
- Experience with large-scale data, including log analysis, streaming data, or distributed data processing systems
- Foundational knowledge of machine learning or statistical modeling and interest in applying these methods to security problems
- Ability to independently drive research projects from formulation through implementation, evaluation, and dissemination
- Collaborative mindset and interest in bridging foundational research with deployed security systems
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.
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