Research Manager – Machine Learning – Microsoft Research AI Frontiers

Microsoft Research (MSR) AI Frontiers is seeking applications for the position of Research Manager to join our team.  

The mission of the AI Frontiers lab is to expand the pareto frontier of Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, efficiency, and safety through innovations in foundation models and learning agent platforms, guided by novel and scientific evaluation of AI performance. Some of our projects include work on Small Language Models (e.g. Phi, Orca) and Multi-Agent AI (e.g. AutoGen). 

We seek a Research Manager with a demonstrated ability for technical work and a proven record of leadership to take on the role of managing a team of researchers and engineers with the mission of reinventing the science of AI evaluation and understanding. This person will possess: 

• A passion for evaluating and understanding foundation models and their integration in agents and real-world systems.  

• Hands-on experience with foundation models and state-of-the-art AI frameworks and toolkits. 

• Hands-on experience running rigorous evaluation and benchmarking experiments and analyses. 

The candidate will be responsible for driving a research vision and building practical solutions for assessing progress in AI and advancing our understanding of machine intelligence. We are seeking a candidate that can demonstrate excellence in delivering success through empowerment and accountability through modeling, coaching and caring for the 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

• Define and execute research agenda and vision that are at the forefront of innovation in AI. 
• Guide a team of researchers and engineers to collaboratively execute on the research vision and build practical solutions towards quantifiable impact.  
• Work closely with partner engineering teams in both research and production.  
• Demonstrate leadership principles of model, coach and care for team members.
• Establish the team in a leadership position in academia and industry in AI evaluation and understanding.

• Embody our culture and values.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Doctorate in Artificial Intelligence (AI) relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience 
  • OR equivalent experience. 
• Proven track record for publishing in relevant research domain. 
• Has conducted research in one of the following research areas: reliability & robustness of AI systems, rigorous evaluation and benchmarking, advances in AI interpretability, bias and fairness, or safety in real-world deployments.

Other Requirements

As part of your application please upload: 

• A current CV.
• A cover letter, indicating the applicant’s relevant focus area(s), emphasizing potential connections and synergies with research areas described in this job call. The letter should also emphasize how the candidate thinks about conducting research as a larger group in industry.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate in relevant field AND 5+ years related research experience
  • OR equivalent experience. 
• Hands-on experience with popular machine learning frameworks (e.g. pytorch, tensorflow, scikit-learn) and cloud platforms. 
• Experience with training and evaluating machine learning models for NLP, Vision, and Multimodal tasks. Experience with one data type is sufficient but candidates should be open to collaborating in projects that study a variety or a combination of modalities.
• Leadership experience in forming research agendas and vision and executing on them.  
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team and communicate complex concepts effectively.

Research Sciences M5 – The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $133,600 – $256,800 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 $173,200 – $282,200 per year.

Research Sciences M6 – The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $158,500 – $276,600 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 $202,800 – $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

Microsoft will accept applications and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

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