Senior Systems Research Engineer - Research Engineering - MSR Cambridge

Microsoft
Redmond, United States of America
6 days ago

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Working hours
Regular working hours
Languages
English
Experience level
Senior
Compensation
£ 123K

Job location

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Tech stack

Microprocessors
Distributed Computing Environment
Distributed Systems
Systems Theories
Python
Machine Learning
Performance Tuning
Software Engineering
AI Infrastructure
Data Processing
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
Software Security
Information Technology
Machine Learning Operations

Job description

We are seeking a Systems Research Engineer to accelerate our Future AI Infrastructure research area. You will bring key skills and experience in operating systems, performance, distributed systems, CPUs, GPUs, and machine learning. Good systems research happens when you build things to uncover hidden assumptions - your implementation skills are at the heart of this. You will collaborate closely with researchers to identify, design and implement proof of concept solutions to some of the hardest future problems of AI infrastructure. You will partner with product teams to help land our research in a meaningful way, accelerating delivery of our lab's research into shipping products used by millions of people world-wide., * Combine strengths in computer systems research, and software engineering competence to contribute to the design and prioritisation of research activities.

  • Build prototypes of future AI systems to demonstrate research value, in some cases bringing these prototypes all the way to product-level readiness. You like getting things done.
  • Evaluate research prototypes and help write up results to communicate outcomes clearly.
  • Collaborate with researchers and product teams, helping with smooth technology transfer between them.
  • Reinforce a positive environment by applying best practices and high-quality engineering standards.
  • Gain deep expertise in one (or more) subareas of research, and general understanding of a broad area. Understand the relevant literature and applicable research techniques.
  • Contribute to academic publication of research outcomes.
  • Proactively ensure high standards of software security over research prototypes and library supply chains.
  • Understand and follow ethics and privacy policies relating to research processes and data handling, as appropriate.

Requirements

Required

  • Masters degree in Computer Science or related area, or equivalent training and experience in research.
  • Proficient in collaborative software development in Python and lower-level languages.
  • Experience with one or more of operating systems, performance analysis, distributed systems, CPU and GPU architecture, or machine learning systems.
  • Experience of low-level systems and/or performance tuning trade-offs.
  • Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken, including the skill to communicate technical results and justify assumptions to diverse technical audiences.
  • Willingness and flexibility to operate in a highly agile and dynamic environment.
  • Demonstrated ability to work within large codebases.

Preferred

  • Doctorate (PhD) in Computer Science or related area, or equivalent training and experience in research.
  • Experience of cluster-based distributed data processing techniques
  • Experience with the internals of machine learning systems.
  • Demonstrated experienceworking within a multi-disciplinary team.

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.

About the company

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.

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