Principal Researcher

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.

Microsoft’s Azure Data engineering team is leading the transformation of analytics in the world of data with products like databases, data integration, big data analytics, messaging & real-time analytics, and business intelligence. The products our portfolio include Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL DB, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure PostgreSQL, Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Service Bus, Azure Event Grid, and Power BI. Our mission is to build the data platform for the age of AI, powering a new class of data-first applications and driving a data culture.

Within Azure Data, the databases team builds and maintains Microsoft's operational Database systems. We store and manage data in a structured way to enable multitude of applications across various industries. We are on a journey to enable developer friendly, mission-critical, AI enabled operational Databases across relational, non-relational and Open Source Software (OSS) offerings.

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.

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:

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 11, 2024

• 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.
• Identifies gaps and determines which state-of-the-art insights, tools, technologies, or methods to incorporate into research pipelines to ensure quality, scientific rigor, and ethical best practices. Supports the development and implementation of new or modified tools, technologies, and methods within a research pipeline. Applies deep subject matter expert knowledge around a broad array of specialized tools/methods to support planning for research projects.
• 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.
• Proactively provides mentorship and coaching to less experienced and mid-level team members (e.g., interns, early-in-career researchers, senior researchers, Ph.D. candidates) by sharing expertise to build team capabilities and guiding team members in research projects and their careers. Represents Microsoft externally to grow network and attract/cultivate talent and desired capabilities. Helps to develop a capability strategy that serves long-term research objectives and attracts/cultivates talent and desired capabilities.
• 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 and