Senior Applied Scientist/Research SDE

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 big data analytics team provides a range of products that enable data engineers and data scientists to extract intelligence from all data – structured, semi-structured, and unstructured. We build the Data Engineering, Data Science, and Data Integration pillars of Microsoft Fabric.​ 

​​In particular, we are hiring a Senior Applied Scientist for the Gray Systems Lab (GSL), an applied research group part of the Azure Data CTO office. GSL tackles interesting challenges in both open-source and proprietary technologies related to analytics, cloud, AI, and storage systems among others. We build reliable, highly scalable and highly performing distributed systems for data analytics on Azure, we publish in top-conferences and are actively involved in open-source projects. GSL researchers and engineers have contributed hundreds of academic papers and build technologies that impacted tens of millions of dollars of Microsoft revenues/costs. We work on novel technologies including analytics on GPUs, container technologies, graph databases, infrastructure and models for LLMs and data-science, machine learning for systems, Text-to-SQL, agentic workflows and many other areas. With team members originating from 10 countries and 4 continents, each of us brings something authentically unique to the team. In this diverse and inclusive environment, creativity, open dialogue, and a healthy work-life balance are powering GSL innovation and helping each of us grow.   

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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. 

​​​​​​Establishes collaborative relationships with relevant product and business groups inside or outside of Microsoft and provides expertise or technology to create business impact. Takes initiative and drives activities such as technology transfers attempts, standards organizations, filing patents, authoring white papers, developing or maintaining tools/services for internal Microsoft use, or consulting for product or business groups. May publish research to promote receiving new intellectual property for business impact.  
 
Brings new technology and approaches into production by applying long-term research efforts to solve immediate product needs. Collaborates with and bridges the gap between researchers (in community across the company, Microsoft Research [MSR], or in their own organizations) and development teams. Begins to negotiate across teams to ensure cutting edge technology is being applied to products in a practical way that meets key business objectives. Develops an understanding of research approaches used across a group or organization to leverage (and not re-invent) solutions.  
 
Independently works to create product impact. Identifies approach, and applies, improves, or creates a research-backed solution (e.g., novel, data driven, scalable, extendable) to positively impact a Microsoft product or service. Designs an approach to solve significant business problems shared by a senior team member. May publish research to promote receiving new intellectual property for product impact.  
 
Serves as an expert within product domain. Gains deep knowledge in a complex or highly ambiguous service, platform, or domain. Shares knowledge of changes in industry trends and advances in applied technologies with engineers and product teams to apply advanced concepts to identify product needs and drive action toward solutions. Fosters audience for the product based on understanding of the industry.  
 
Reviews business and product requirements and incorporates state-of-the-art research or previously tested solutions occurring at Microsoft and the academic field to formulate plans that will meet business goals. Identifies problems and develops strategy to resolve team or feature level problems. Provides strategic direction for the kinds of data used to solve problems.​ ​ ​ 

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