Principal Researcher

6 days ago

Vancouver, Canada Microsoft Canada Full time

Overview
Microsoft is a company where passionate innovators come to collaborate, envision what can be and take their careers further. This is a world of more possibilities, more innovation, more openness, and the sky is the limit thinking in a cloud-enabled world.
Azure Cosmos DB is building performant and cost-effective systems for vector search and AI-based information retrieval to enable search, recommendations and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) scenarios. We are innovating both on the research (e.g., see DiskANN project) and engineering. We are hiring a Principal Researcher with expertise in dense retrieval, semantic re-ranking, GraphRAG or related areas. The role would involve developing the state-of-the-art techniques in these areas, advising the team on designing and building these systems.
We do not just value differences or different perspectives. We seek them out and invite them in so we can tap into the collective power of everyone in the company. As a result, our customers are better served.

**Qualifications**:
Required/Minimum Qualifications
Doctorate in relevant field AND 3+ 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/Additional Qualifications
Doctorate in relevant field AND 5+ years related research experience
OR equivalent experience.
Experience publishing academic papers as a lead author or essential contributor.
Experience participating in a top conference in relevant research domain.
Research Sciences IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across Canada is CAD $135,800 - CAD $253,000 per year.
**Find additional pay information here**:
**Responsibilities**:
Serves as a top industry/academic leader and accomplished expert in a broad area of research (dense retrieval and ranking) or gains unique knowledge in a specific area of research. Understands the corresponding literature, applicable research techniques, and business and academic context.
Expands collaborative relationships with product or business group leaders inside or outside Microsoft as a world expert and provides expertise or technology to them. Contributes to product or business group decisions at a strategic level by sharing input and expertise. Creates a measurable impact on the business.
Leads a collaborative research effort (possibly spanning multiple teams/Universities inside and outside of Microsoft) to advance a long-term research agenda through multiple projects, yielding new algorithms, prototypes, theories, tools, methods, analyses, insights, or collections of data in one or more subareas or a broad area of research to create societal impact.
Embody our culture and values

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