Senior Applied Scientist

Are you passionate about creating innovative solutions that empower users to achieve more with Office applications? Do you have a strong background in natural language processing, generative AI, and engineering? If so, we are looking for a Senior Applied Scientist to join our team of data and applied science engineers working at the intersection of generative AI and engineering for Office. In this role, you will drive cutting-edge projects, contribute to the Copilot ecosystem, and help shape the Agentic future with one of the most widely used software products in the world. 

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

• Applied Research & Development: Design and implement machine learning models and algorithms that improve search, summarization, and content understanding in Office applications. Stay current with advancements in NLP and generative AI to inform product innovation.  
• Model Development & Deployment: Build and optimize ML/DL models using frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow. Contribute to the deployment of models in production environments, ensuring scalability and performance.  
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering, product, and research teams to define goals, align on priorities, and deliver impactful features. Translate business needs into technical solutions.  
• Experimentation & Evaluation: Conduct experiments to evaluate model performance, analyze results, and iterate on solutions. Use data-driven insights to improve precision, recall, and user satisfaction.  
• Innovation & Impact: Explore new signals, data sources, and modeling techniques to enhance intelligent systems. Contribute to the evolution of the Copilot ecosystem and agentic experiences in Office. 

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.
• Experience: 4+ years of industry experience in applied machine learning or data science roles.  
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Python and ML libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow). Experience with NLP, generative models, or content understanding is highly desirable.  
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.  
• Problem Solving: Demonstrated ability to tackle open-ended problems and deliver practical, scalable solutions. 

Preferred Qualifications:  

• Master’s degree with 6+ years of experience or Ph.D. with 3+ years of experience in a relevant field.  
• Experience contributing to research publications, patents, or open-source projects.  
• Hands-on experience deploying ML models in production environments.  
• Familiarity with the full product lifecycle, from ideation to deployment and iteration. 

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. 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.