AI for Science Residency - Machine Learning Resident

Microsoft Research AI for Science is seeking a talented machine learning researcher to join our mission of accelerating scientific discovery through AI. In the materials team, we are building next generation foundational AI capabilities to accelerate the design of novel materials with industrial impact. You can learn more about our AI emulator MatterSim and generator MatterGen in our blog.

This 2-year residency position is an exceptional opportunity to contribute to our ambitious research agenda by developing efficient and expressive machine learning models for materials. You will work with a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary and diverse team of researchers, engineers and scientists to develop and implement the next generation of machine learning models for materials design.

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 centred on embracing a growth mindset and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Join us and help shape the future of materials design.

Responsibilities

• Drive an ambitious, high-impact, research agenda on machine learning for materials.
• Develop efficient and expressive machine learning models that address fundamental materials science problems.
• Work with domain experts to develop realistic machine learning metrics and benchmarks.
• Prepare technical papers and presentations.
• Contribute to building large-scale infrastructure for data generation, model training and inference.
• Keep up-to-date with latest developments in the field.

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in computer science, machine learning, computational materials science, physics, or related area.

• Track record of publications at top-tier conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, Nature/Science or relevant sub-journals).

• Strong coding ability and proficiency in collaborative code development.

• Ability to quickly iterate between ideation, implementation and evaluation of new research ideas.

• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary collaborative environment, through effective communication of technical concepts to non-experts from different technical backgrounds.

Preferred/Additional Qualifications:

• Experience working on generative models.

• Experience working on (materials) science problems.

• Experience with agent-driven research and code development.

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 a global technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. We develop, license, and support a wide range of software products, services, and devices that help individuals and businesses realize their full potential.

Our flagship products include the Microsoft 365 productivity cloud, Windows operating system, Azure cloud platform, and Dynamics 365 business applications. We are also a leader in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, developer tools, and gaming through Xbox and Game Pass.

With operations in more than 190 countries and over 220,000 employees worldwide, Microsoft is committed to responsible innovation, inclusive economic growth, and sustainability. We work closely with governments, industries, and communities to ensure that technology serves the public good and helps address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2025, we continue to look forward—investing in AI, cloud, and quantum computing to shape the future of work, education, and society at large scale.