Senior Researcher in Machine Learning: People-Centric AI

Overview

We are seeking Senior Machine Learning Researcher candidates for our research in the area of People-Centric AI at Microsoft Research Cambridge (UK). The successful candidate will be responsible for pushing the state of the art in machine learning to enable human agency and skill, support creativity and collaboration, and ensure equitable representation and participation. Key machine learning challenges that we aim to address include, but are not limited to, human-in-the-loop learning, uncertainty quantification, value alignment, interpretability, fairness and bias mitigation, as well as related areas.

People-Centric AI is a multi-disciplinary effort to develop knowledge, model capabilities, and experiences by blending research disciplines, design, and engineering. In this role, you will be formulating a machine learning research agenda based on human needs within this space. For us, success means novel machine learning insights and approaches that support AI experiences to empower all people while preserving and enhancing human capability and connection.AI experiences to empower all people while preserving and enhancing human capability and connection.

We encourage applications from all candidates who are excited to tackle the deep challenges in People-Centric AI, including but not limited to those with backgrounds in deep learning, foundation models, generative AI, computer vision, multi-modal models, deep reinforcement learning, fairness, and efficient, scalable and robust machine learning.

This posting will be active until the position is filled, and we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible. For more information about the post, questions can be sent by email to the hiring manager Katja Hofmann at

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 best each day. Join us and help shape the future of the world.

Responsibilities

Contribute to a collaborative research effort to advance an ambitious long-term research agenda in the area of People-Centric AI through one or multiple projects, yielding new algorithms, prototypes, theories, tools, methods, analyses, insights, or collections of data that result in high scientific, social, and/or business impact.

• Develop novel machine learning insights, tools, technologies, or methods to incorporate into research pipelines to ensure quality, scientific rigor, and ethical best practices.
• Implement new or modified models, tools, technologies, and methods to test new approaches or develop novel theoretical and practical insights.
• Publish research insights at high-quality machine learning venues to disseminate results to key audiences.
• Contribute to ethics and privacy policies related to research processes and/or data/information collection by providing updates and suggestions around internal best practices.
• Mentor less experienced team members (e.g., interns, PhD candidates, post-doctorate researchers) by sharing expertise to build team capabilities and guiding team members in research projects and their careers.

Qualifications

Required:

• PhD in Computer Science or a relevant field, or equivalent experience.
• Deep expertise in one or more sub-fields of machine learning, evidenced by top-tier publications or equivalent artefacts.
• Demonstratable experience in conceptualizing, implementing and evaluating machine learning approaches under the high level of uncertainty.
• Motivated to tackle technological problems rooted in real-world human needs, including an interest in how AI systems interact with people and society, and a commitment to designing inclusive, socially impactful technologies.
• Collaboration skills – the candidate is capable of iterating their technical solutions with feedback from the team/users, rather than seeking to solve problems independently.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and present research findings.
• A track record of mentoring junior researchers.

Preferred:

• Demonstrable ability to define an ambitious, original research agenda based on deep sociotechnical thinking, including the ability to formulate ML research questions from complex sociotechnical problem spaces.
• Experience working in a multidisciplinary team, including the ability to clearly translate technical concepts, ideas, and requirements to non-technical and multi-disciplinary audiences.
• Experience communicating with and presenting to a wide range of diverse audiences.

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.