Principal Researcher - Artificial Intelligence - Microsoft Research

Microsoft
United States, Washington, Redmond2026-02-27onsite

About the job

The AI Interaction and Learning team in Microsoft Research advances research on collaborative AI systems, where humans and AI agents work together to achieve outcomes that exceed what either could accomplish alone. We work closely with product teams deploying copilots, ensuring that our research both addresses the challenges of large-scale, real-world AI systems. Our mission is to move beyond individual assistance toward joint optimization at the group level, creating collaborative AI systems that enhance collective intelligence. We are looking for a Principal Researcher with a passion for pushing the boundaries of learning and reasoning with foundation models, and with a proven ability to conduct impactful independent research. In this role, you will develop innovative Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) techniques, shape and advance the team’s research agenda, and collaborate widely across the organization.

Responsibilities

Identify and articulate problems that are academically novel and may directly/indirectly impact business opportunities.

Research and develop an understanding of the state-of-the-art tools, technologies, and methods being used in the research community and product groups.

Advance a research agenda through one or more projects, yielding new algorithms, prototypes, theories, tools, methods, or collections of data.

Develop and deploy computing technologies that uphold trustworthiness, robustness, privacy, values, and ethical considerations.

Collaborate with other relevant researchers or groups to advance a research agenda.

Embody our culture and values.

Qualifications

Minimum

PhD in Computer Science or related field AND 3+ years related research experience OR equivalent experience.

Experience in one or more of the following areas: Foundation Models, Reinforcement Learning, Multi-Objective Optimization, Natural Language Processing, Deep Learning, Interactive Learning, Artificial Intelligence.

Preferred

PhD in relevant field AND 4+ years related research experience.

Research ability demonstrated by an established publication record in top-tier venues (NeurIPS, COLM, ICLR).

Demonstrable ability to develop/shape original research agendas.

Ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.

Proficient oral and written communication skills.

Passion for AI research.