Senior Researcher - AI Systems - Microsoft Research

Overview At Microsoft Research Cambridge, we are shaping the future of AI infrastructure by tackling long-horizon research challenges that will define the next generation of computing systems, co-designed with the hardware they run on and with the models they serve. You will pursue fundamental research on the systems that underpin AI infrastructure, spanning distributed systems, programming languages, networking, memory and storage, together with the runtimes, abstractions, and platforms that make future AI workloads more performant, efficient, reliable, and scalable. This position is perfect for researchers who are excited by open-ended questions that span traditional disciplinary boundaries, typically at the intersection of systems, hardware and machine learning. You will work with leading researchers and engineers from these disciplines and have access to bleeding edge hardware and emerging machine learning algorithms and to frontier real-world workloads to uniquely inform your innovation towards future AI infrastructure. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, and we’re dedicated to this mission across every aspect of our company. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their uniqueness each day. Join us and help shape the future of the world. Responsibilities Conduct original research on the systems foundations of future AI infrastructure and large-scale computing platforms. Design new abstractions, architectures, runtimes, and systems that improve the performance, scalability, efficiency, reliability, and programmability of emerging AI workloads. Build research prototypes and experimental platforms that explore future directions for AI infrastructure. Evaluate ideas through rigorous analysis, large-scale experimentation, and real-world workloads. Collaborate with researchers and engineers across Microsoft Research and product groups to shape long-term research directions and transfer research into practice. Publish high-quality research in top-tier venues. Contribute to an open, collaborative, and multidisciplinary research environment. Qualifications Required PhD (or equivalent research experience) in Computer Science or a related discipline. Strong research track record in computer systems or a closely related area. Demonstrated ability to conduct independent research and communicate results through publications, prototypes, or other impactful outcomes. Research expertise in one or more of these core systems areas: distributed computing, networking, memory, programming languages, machine learning systems, computer architecture, databases, or related fields. Ability to work effectively across disciplinary boundaries and collaborate with diverse research and engineering teams. Preferred Research experience spanning multiple layers of the computing stack. Experience working at the intersection of systems and machine learning, systems and programming languages, or systems and hardware. Interest in developing future infrastructure for AI workloads, including reasoning, inference, memory, data processing, agentic systems, and large-scale distributed execution. Experience translating research ideas into deployable systems, tools, or platforms. Strong publication record in leading venues such as SOSP, OSDI, NSDI, SIGCOMM, EuroSys, ASPLOS, FAST, MLSys, PLDI, POPL, ISCA, MICRO, or related conferences. Demonstrated leadership in building collaborations and shaping research agendas. Research Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 74,700.00 - £ 122,600.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html 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.