The Principal Researcher role is part of a high-impact AI engineering and applied science team within the Office Product Group at Microsoft. This team focuses on advancing AI-powered experiences in Microsoft 365 applications by balancing innovation with practical considerations. The role involves designing, developing, and deploying AI systems that can reason and work across various tools and services. The position emphasizes collaboration and continuous learning to deliver meaningful outcomes for users worldwide.

• Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience, OR Master's Degree in the same fields AND 4+ years related experience, OR Doctorate in the same fields AND 3+ years related experience, OR equivalent experience.
• Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 9+ years related experience, OR Doctorate in the same fields AND 6+ years related experience, OR equivalent experience.
• 5+ years experience creating publications such as patents, libraries, or peer-reviewed academic papers.
• 2+ years experience presenting at conferences or events as an invited speaker.
• 5+ 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 experience developing and deploying products or systems at multiple points in the product cycle from ideation to shipping.

• Support the development of frameworks that enable coordination and communication across multiple AI components.
• Apply and improve techniques for efficient code generation and transformation in low-resource environments.
• Implement and iterate on fine-tuning and post-training approaches for large-scale machine learning models.
• Contribute to the design and execution of evaluation strategies and benchmarks reflecting real-world Microsoft 365 user workflows.
• Collaborate with engineering and product management partners to translate research ideas into scalable, production-ready features.

• Employees at Microsoft are often offered comprehensive, “world-class” benefits—including health and mental-wellness programs, competitive pay with bonuses and stock awards, and retirement/savings options. Time-off and flexibility are common, with generous vacation and holidays, parental and caregiver leave, and flexible work schedules, alongside learning support, employee resource groups, product discounts, and matching-gifts/volunteering programs. Specific benefits can vary by region.