Applied Scientist / Applied Scientistess

Overview

The Spatial AI Lab is part of the Applied Sciences Group, a Microsoft research and development organization dedicated to creating next-generation human-computer interaction technologies. We leverage the latest advancements in AI while exploring new hardware capabilities and device form-factors. Our team of scientists and engineers possesses extensive expertise in computer vision and multi-modal AI, with a special emphasis on spatial and embodied AI.

As a Scientist specializing in Multimodal Foundation Models & Robotics, you will conduct pioneering research at the intersection of large-scale generative modeling and embodied AI, particularly within the realm of robotics. Your primary focus will be on developing the core intelligence for a new generation of agents, training multimodal foundation models that enable them to perceive complex environments, reason about tasks, and seamlessly act across both the physical and digital realms. This role provides an opportunity to deepen your expertise in training embodied foundation models, deploying algorithms on robotic hardware, and contributing to groundbreaking research through publications and collaborations with esteemed partners such as ETH Zurich.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we unite with a growth mindset, innovating to empower others and collaborating to realize our common goals. Everyday, we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to foster a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive both at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement novel foundation models and algorithms for general-purpose embodied agents.
• Implement high-performance machine-learning pipelines and optimize data and learning stacks for scalability, efficiency, and performance.
• Optimize and deploy AI models on robotic hardware.
• Collaborate with Microsoft research and engineering teams to transition cutting-edge research into tangible real-world impact.
• Drive the team’s rapid progress, measured by both the advancement of internal capabilities and significant contributions to the scientific community.
• Collaborate with top academic partners like ETH Zurich to advance pioneering research at scale, with opportunities to co-author work in leading venues, present at workshops, and mentor students.

Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications:

• A PhD in Robotics, Machine Learning, or a related field, or 3+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Demonstrated coding, debugging, and engineering skills in programming languages such as Python or C++.
• Hands-on experience with modern deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX).
• Self-motivated team player, problem solver, and eager to learn.
• Ability to present complex technical concepts to a diverse audience.

Other Requirements:

Compliance with Microsoft, customer, and/or government security screening requirements is necessary for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position requires passing the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with foundation models including hands-on training experience in topics such as LLMs, large vision-language models (VLMs), video generative models, and action-based transformers.
• Experience with large-scale machine learning compute systems.
• Hands-on training experience in robot learning techniques, including reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and classical control methods.
• Solid understanding of robot kinematics, dynamics, and sensors.
• Familiarity with control algorithms such as PID, model predictive control (MPC), and whole-body control.
• Proven track record of impact through first-author research publications in top-tier machine learning or robotics conferences, or through contributions to successful industry initiatives.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days. Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

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 reasonable accommodations due to a disability during the application process, please refer to our guidelines on requesting accommodations.