Applied Researcher 2/ Senior Applied Researcher

Job ID: 200037587Posted: 2026-05-20Location: United States, Washington, RedmondSalary: USD $102,100 - $202,200 per yearEmployment type: Full-TimeWork site: 3 days / week in-officeRole type: Individual ContributorTravel: Less than 25%Profession: Research, Applied, & Data SciencesDiscipline: Research SciencesCompany: MicrosoftOverviewThe Code|AI team is the Applied Research and Data for Github Copilot and VS Code, working on the future of AI for Developers! We are a diverse, entrepreneurial, and multi-disciplinary group of scientists, researchers, and engineers with a passion for using AI to improve the productivity of millions of developers around the world. We have released AI for code advancements in Github Copilot, VS Code, Visual Studio and Copilot extensions in other IDEs. Our team focuses on post-training code specific models like code completion, code embedding models and agentic research for Copilot Coding Agent, Copilot CLI and Copilot Code Review. We embrace the open source and continue to share our research and work with the developer and research community to advance AI in Developer tools.We are seeking entrepreneurial and creative Applied Researchers 2/ Senior Applied Researchers - CoreAI to lead groundbreaking research projects, taking these from research into product. You will collaborate with scientists, engineers and designers across Microsoft Research, Microsoft product teams, and Github. You will have an opportunity to build and train state-of-the-art models, and opportunities to both apply and advance existing approaches of using LLMs for software engineering, from using RAG to evaluation. Most importantly, you will have an opportunity to work closely with several developer product teams to run experiments, evaluate, iterate, and improve your AI projects on a large 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.ResponsibilitiesContribute projects on the future of AI for developers.Collaborate across disciplines with product teams across Microsoft and Github.Stay up to date with the research literature and product advances in AI for software engineering.Create new datasets from both the world's public code and Microsoft's internal data.Build and manage large-scale ML experiments and models.Embody our Culture and ValuesQualificationsRequired Qualifications:  Master's Degree in relevant field AND 1+ year(s) related research experience OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 2+ years related research experience OR equivalent experience.Other Requirements: The ability to meet Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements is 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: Doctorate in relevant field OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 3+ years related research experienceOR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 5+ years related research experienceOR equivalent experience.3+ years of research/industrial experience with LLMIndustrial/research experience with CodeLLM, Code agent or AI IDEExperience participating in a top conference in relevant research domainExperience publishing academic papers as a lead author or essential contributor.#Code|AI #CoreAI #DDJLResearch Sciences IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $102,100 - $202,200 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 $133,800 - $219,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:Research Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: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.