Principal Applied Scientist

Job description

Join Microsoft’s CoreAI – AI Platform team in Bay Area/Redmond to build the AI Data Platform, the foundation for secure, scalable, reusable datasets that power model development.

We are seeking Principal Applied Scientists to drive scientific innovation in data generation, validation, evaluation, and automation.

You will set the vision for intelligent, ML-driven services that manage the end-to-end data lifecycle, and partner with leaders across Microsoft to ensure Microsoft’s data investments deliver maximum AI impact.

Our mission is to build a central AI data platform that breaks down Microsoft’s data silos and manages the full lifecycle of first-party, third-party, synthetic, and human-labeled data, accelerating AI model development with secure, reusable, and compliant datasets.

The Principal Applied Scientist in AI Data Platform is responsible for driving scientific innovation in data generation, validation, evaluation, and automation, setting the vision for intelligent, ML-driven services that manage the end-to-end data lifecycle, and partnering with leaders across Microsoft to ensure Microsoft’s data investments deliver maximum AI impact.

**Responsibilities**

+ **Define the scientific vision and roadmap**  for ML- and agent-driven automation of the dataset lifecycle, including ingestion, validation, PII detection and handling, governance, discovery, and feedback loops.

+ **Lead the design and deployment of advanced ML pipelines**  for synthetic data generation, augmentation, and human-in-the-loop workflows.

+ **Establish evaluation methodologies**  to measure dataset quality, coverage, and downstream impact on large-scale model training.

+ **Advance** **state-of-the-art** **methods**  for data-centric AI, including LLM-based evaluation, gap mining, and bias/fairness detection.

+ **Mentor and grow a team of applied scientists** , providing technical leadership and fostering a culture of excellence.

+ **Collaborate with engineering leaders**  to integrate research into scalable, production-ready platform services.

+ **Influence Microsoft’s AI strategy**  by shaping best practices for data-driven model development and sharing learnings internally and externally.

**Qualifications**

**Required Qualifications**

+ Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR equivalent experience.
+ Experience applying ML/AI to real-world problems.
+ Experience leading applied science projects from concept to production.
+ Programming experience in Python and ML frameworks.
+ Demonstrated expertise in data quality, dataset evaluation, or synthetic data generation.

**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

**Preferred Qualifications**

+ PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, or related field, or equivalent experience.
+ Experience with LLMs, data-centric AI approaches, or intelligent agent-based systems.
+ Knowledge of data privacy, compliance, and governance in large-scale AI systems.
+ Familiarity with distributed data systems (e.g., Spark, Databricks, Azure Data Lake).
+ Strong publication record in top ML/AI conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, KDD, ICLR etc.).
+ Ability to influence cross-functional strategy and collaborate effectively with product, research, and engineering leader

Applied Sciences IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 per year.

There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.

Applied Sciences IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $163,000 - $296,400 per year.

There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $220,800 - $331,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.

Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft posts positions for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

#DataPlatform, #AIJobs, #MachineLearning, #DataScience #CoreAI

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer.

Consistent with applicable law, 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 and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .

Required Skill Profession

Other General