Senior Applied Scientist

Overview
The Microsoft Word Applied Science team in Redmond, WA, US builds state-of-the-art, large-scale natural language understanding and generation models that power AI writing experiences for millions of users. Combining cutting-edge NLP with deep linguistic expertise, we have delivered innovative assistance in Word for more than 25 years, guided by a mission to help everyone become a better writer. Most recently, we launched Copilot capabilities that boost productivity and creativity across the entire writing workflow from ideation and drafting to refinement and final polish.   As a Senior Applied Scientist in the team, you will drive intelligence experience projects through their entire life cycle from idea creation through rigorous science experiments, evaluations, and finally to worldwide availability. You will collaborate with other applied scientists, researchers, engineers, and product managers to deliver high-quality features and products that enhance the writing experience across multiple platforms and domains. You will also conduct cutting-edge applied research leading to high product impact and publish your work in top-tier conferences and journals. This opportunity will allow you to accelerate your career growth, develop deep business acumen, and hone your scientific skills. You will have the flexibility to work from home partially or fully, depending on your preference and location. We value work-life balance and support our team members to achieve their personal and professional goals.

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

• You will review business and product requirements and incorporate state-of-the-art research to formulate plans that will meet business goals.
• You will research and develop an understanding of tools, technologies, and methods being used in the community that can be utilized to improve product quality, performance, or efficiency.
• You will stay updated with the latest research and trends in Natural Language Processing and related fields and explore new ideas and opportunities for innovation.
• You will participate in onboarding of new team members. You'll identify new research talent to join Microsoft and collaborate with the academic community to develop the recruiting pipeline.
• You will document work in progress and experimentation results and share findings to promote innovation. You'll also use your deep understanding of fairness and bias to contribute to ethics and privacy policies related to research processes and data collection.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics predictive analytics, research)
  • OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
  • OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) 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:

• Masters degree in Computational Linguistics or Computer Science with a focus on Natural Language Processing.
• 3+ years experience conducting research as part of a research program (in academic or industry settings).
• 3+ years experience developing and deploying live production systems, as part of a product team
• 3+ years of software engineering experience in Python or C#.
• 2+ years of research or product experience in Natural Language Processing.
• 2+ years experience publishing peer-reviewed papers and presenting at conferences.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience in Deep Learning using PyTorch or similar.

Applied 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 $158,400 - $258,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

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.

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