Principal Research Engineer - Generative AI - AI Frontiers

The AI FrontierslabatMicrosoft Researchischartedwith ambitious research goalsforadvancingArtificial Intelligence(AI)capabilitiesin several key areasincluding modeling, algorithms,reasoningand agenticAI.Ourlab offers a vibrant environment for cutting-edgemultidisciplinary research, including an open publication policyand close links to top academic institutions around the world.

ThisPrincipalResearch Engineer position is a unique opportunity tocontributetowardstacklingsome of the hardestand most rewardingchallengesin AI.You will help developnovel ideas inbleedingedgereinforcement learningresearchas well ashelp evolveourpre-training, mid-training,andpost-trainingcodebasesthat gave birth to famous modelssuch as Phiestablishingmanynew records. You will collaborate with researchers andengineersacrossmany disciplinestohelpadvance thestate of the art inreasoning and agentic AI.

Our lab providesopportunities for experimentationand access todiversearray ofreal-world problems and dataalong withpotentialto ship your researchto overbillionMicrosoftcustomers.At AI Frontiers we strive toexpand thepareto frontierof AI capabilities, efficiency, and safety through innovations in foundation models and learning agent platforms.Our projects include Phi, Orca,AutoGen,Eureka,OmniParser,Magentic-One,Magentic-UI, Dion,Belief State Transformersamong many others.

Our ongoing research areas encompass but are not limited to:

• Pre-training: language models, action models and multimodal models
• Mid-training: long context extension
• Post-training: e.g., Instruction tuning and reinforcement learning from feedback
• Reasoning: Enabling LLMs toscale inferencetime compute via reinforcement learning
• Action Models: Trailing models capable oftaking actionin the digital world (e.g.computer use and web agents)
• Orchestration and multi-agent systems: automated orchestration between multiple agents incorporatingcollaboration, humanfeedbackand oversight

If yourskills andinterestsintersectsany of these areas, please apply today and join us in thisamazing journey!

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.

• As a PrincipalResearch Engineerin AI Frontiers, you will design, develop, execute, and implement technology research projects in collaboration with other researchers, engineers, and product groups.
• As a member of aworld-class research organization, you will be a part of research breakthroughs in the fieldandplay a crucial role in developing, improving, and exploring the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs), reasoning and agentic AI.
• Embody ourculture and values.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelors in Computer Scienceor relevant field AND6+ years relatedexperience
  • OR Master's Degree in Computer Science or related field AND 4+ years related experience
  • OR Doctorate in Computer Science or related field AND 3+ years related experience
  • OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• 1+ year(s)experiencedevelopingwithPython andPytorch/JAX.
• Familiarity with architecture and optimizations for large language models.
• Hands-on workin debugging and profilingPytorchdistributed code.
• Basic understanding ofworkingofCUDAkernels.
• Familiarity withpre-training, mid-training and/or post-training pipelines forlanguageand/or multimodal models.
• Foundational understanding ofreinforcement learning andkeychallenges in the field.
• Experience withverl, Ray, Megatronand/orvLLMis a significant plus.
• Any experience in building scalable servicescanbe highlycomplementary.

#Research

Applied 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

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.