Principal Researcher (AI)

STCA Research team is seeking passionate researchers to join our team advancing the frontier of LLMs, Agentic AI, AI-native Innovations, RL and Model tuning, and Agentic Software Engineering. We are building intelligent systems that reason, act, and evolve-transforming how AI and Agents interact with data, code, and users across platforms.

Our team leads innovation in LLM-based Agents, Agentic AI, Recursive Self-Improvements, Reinforcement Learning, Model Tuning, Agentic Software Engineering,LLM Privacy, and AI Efficiency. We aim to push the boundaries of AI and Agentic capabilities, enabling autonomous systems to learn, adapt, collaborate, and self-evolve at scale.

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

• Conduct innovative research in Agentic AI, LLMs, Agentic Software Engineering, RL, RSI, model tuning, LLM Privacy, or Efficient AI.

• Design and prototype agentic systems that autonomously perform tasks, make decisions, and interact with users and other agents.

• Develop scalable algorithms for agentic systems, memory-augmented reasoning, or efficient learning.

• Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate research into key Microsoft products.

• Publish in top-tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, KDD, ICSE, FSE, OSDI, etc.) and contribute SOTA technologies to academia/industry community.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Doctorate in relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience
  • OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 4+ years related research experience
  • OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 6+ years related research experience
  • 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:

• PhD (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, AI, ML, or related fields.
• Good publication record in AI, ML, Agent, or Software/System Research.
• Experience with LLMs, Agent frameworks, and ML toolkits.
• Experience with common programming languages and AI coding tools.
• Rich experience with AI and Agentic AI.
• Familiarity with vibe coding workflows, AI-native development lifecycles, model tuning, AI optimization, or reinforcement learning.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research into real systems and product impact.

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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.