Research Jobs at Microsoft with Visa Sponsorship
Microsoft's Research division works on foundational AI, systems, and applied science problems at a scale few companies match. The team regularly sponsors international researchers across multiple visa categories, making it one of the more accessible paths for foreign nationals pursuing research careers in the U.S. technology sector.
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The Microsoft Research AI Frontiers Lab is on a mission to push the boundaries of what's possible in AI — advancing capabilities, efficiency, and safety through breakthroughs in agentic model and systems. Our previous work spanned Small Language Models (Phi, Orca), Synthetic Data Generation (AgentInstruct), Computer Use Models (Fara), and agentic AI systems (AutoGen, MagenticOne, OmniParser), with real-world impact at scale.
We're looking for Senior and Principal Researchers to join us in Redmond, WA or New York City, NY and help shape the future of agentic AI.
In this role, you'll develop and implement cutting-edge training methodologies for large language and multimodal models with advanced agentic and reasoning capabilities. Your work will contribute to cutting-edge research and directly influence state-of-the-art systems used by millions of people worldwide.
Our current focus areas include:
- Reasoning and inference-time compute
- Action models for automating computer use tasks
- Memory and long-horizon task execution
- Multi-agent training and orchestration
The AI Frontiers Lab is a uniquely dynamic environment: multidisciplinary by design, connected to top academic institutions, and committed to open publication. You'll have access to rich, diverse real-world data and the runway to experiment, publish, and make your mark on one of the most consequential fields in technology.
At Microsoft, our mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress—people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.
Responsibilities
- Lead and conduct cutting-edge research in agentic AI, translating insights into practical solutions that ship to millions of users — in close collaboration with researchers, engineers, and product teams.
- Curate high-quality datasets and develop novel training algorithms tailored to agentic and reasoning tasks.
- Design rigorous evaluation frameworks to benchmark model capabilities across reasoning, long-horizon tasks, and multi-agent scenarios.
- Prototype and iterate on new agentic capabilities — from computer use and action models to memory and multi-agent orchestration.
- Drive research from idea to publication, with opportunities to publish at top-tier venues and contribute to the broader scientific community.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Doctorate in Computer Science or relevant field
- OR Master's Degree in Computer Science or relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or relevant field AND 4+ years related research experience
- OR equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Doctorate of Computer Science or relevant field AND 2+ years related research experience
- OR equivalent experience.
- Research program demonstrated by public artifacts like models, tools, code in AI space or publications at the following conferences: NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, NAACL, CVPR, COLT, ECCV, ICCV, EMNLP.
- Experience with building and evaluating frontier models.
- Experience publishing academic papers as a lead author or essential contributor in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
- Experience participating in a top conference in relevant research domain.
- Demonstrable ability to define an ambitious, original research agenda.
- Ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and technically lead multi-disciplinary team.
- Keen interest in real-world applications and impact.
LOCATION
Location: Redmond, WA or New York City, NY
COMPENSATION
Research Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 per year.
Research 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.
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
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.
Overview
The Microsoft Research AI Frontiers Lab is on a mission to push the boundaries of what's possible in AI — advancing capabilities, efficiency, and safety through breakthroughs in agentic model and systems. Our previous work spanned Small Language Models (Phi, Orca), Synthetic Data Generation (AgentInstruct), Computer Use Models (Fara), and agentic AI systems (AutoGen, MagenticOne, OmniParser), with real-world impact at scale.
We're looking for Senior and Principal Researchers to join us in Redmond, WA or New York City, NY and help shape the future of agentic AI.
In this role, you'll develop and implement cutting-edge training methodologies for large language and multimodal models with advanced agentic and reasoning capabilities. Your work will contribute to cutting-edge research and directly influence state-of-the-art systems used by millions of people worldwide.
Our current focus areas include:
- Reasoning and inference-time compute
- Action models for automating computer use tasks
- Memory and long-horizon task execution
- Multi-agent training and orchestration
The AI Frontiers Lab is a uniquely dynamic environment: multidisciplinary by design, connected to top academic institutions, and committed to open publication. You'll have access to rich, diverse real-world data and the runway to experiment, publish, and make your mark on one of the most consequential fields in technology.
At Microsoft, our mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress—people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.
Responsibilities
- Lead and conduct cutting-edge research in agentic AI, translating insights into practical solutions that ship to millions of users — in close collaboration with researchers, engineers, and product teams.
- Curate high-quality datasets and develop novel training algorithms tailored to agentic and reasoning tasks.
- Design rigorous evaluation frameworks to benchmark model capabilities across reasoning, long-horizon tasks, and multi-agent scenarios.
- Prototype and iterate on new agentic capabilities — from computer use and action models to memory and multi-agent orchestration.
- Drive research from idea to publication, with opportunities to publish at top-tier venues and contribute to the broader scientific community.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Doctorate in Computer Science or relevant field
- OR Master's Degree in Computer Science or relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or relevant field AND 4+ years related research experience
- OR equivalent experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Doctorate of Computer Science or relevant field AND 2+ years related research experience
- OR equivalent experience.
- Research program demonstrated by public artifacts like models, tools, code in AI space or publications at the following conferences: NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, NAACL, CVPR, COLT, ECCV, ICCV, EMNLP.
- Experience with building and evaluating frontier models.
- Experience publishing academic papers as a lead author or essential contributor in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
- Experience participating in a top conference in relevant research domain.
- Demonstrable ability to define an ambitious, original research agenda.
- Ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and technically lead multi-disciplinary team.
- Keen interest in real-world applications and impact.
LOCATION
Location: Redmond, WA or New York City, NY
COMPENSATION
Research Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $158,400 - $258,000 per year.
Research 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.
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
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.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Research Jobs at Microsoft Jobs
Align your publications with Microsoft Research priorities
Microsoft Research hires heavily in AI, machine learning, and systems. Before applying, map your published work or thesis research to active Microsoft Research Labs areas like AI for Science, Confidential Computing, or Human-Computer Interaction.
Verify your degree meets specialty occupation standards
For H-1B sponsorship, your degree must directly relate to the research role. A computer science PhD supports an AI researcher petition clearly, but interdisciplinary degrees need supporting documentation showing the field-to-role connection USCIS requires.
Target Microsoft's structured research hiring tracks
Microsoft distinguishes between Researcher, Research Scientist, and Research Software Engineer tracks. Applying to the correct track for your background strengthens your petition, since USCIS scrutinizes whether the offered role genuinely requires your specific degree field.
Factor in DOL prevailing wage levels when evaluating offers
Research roles at Microsoft typically come in at DOL wage Level II or higher. Understanding where your offered salary falls within prevailing wage tiers helps you anticipate LCA compliance timelines and whether premium processing is worth requesting.
Browse open Research roles on Migrate Mate before applying
Use Migrate Mate to filter Microsoft Research openings by visa type, so you can confirm which positions are actively sponsored before investing time in applications. It's faster than parsing individual job listings for sponsorship language.
Research at Microsoft jobs are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Research at Microsoft JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Does Microsoft sponsor H-1B visas for Research roles?
Yes, Microsoft sponsors H-1B visas for Research positions. Research roles typically qualify as specialty occupations under USCIS criteria because they require at least a bachelor's degree in a specific technical or scientific field. Microsoft's legal and immigration teams manage the petition process, though you'll need to coordinate timing with your recruiter around the annual H-1B cap filing window in April.
How do I apply for Research jobs at Microsoft?
Applications go through Microsoft's careers portal at careers.microsoft.com, where Research roles are listed under job families like Research, Science, and Engineering. Filter by function to surface relevant openings. You can also use Migrate Mate to browse Microsoft Research positions filtered by visa sponsorship type, which helps you identify roles where your specific visa category is supported before you apply.
Which visa types does Microsoft commonly sponsor for Research roles?
Microsoft sponsors H-1B, E-3 (for Australian citizens), H-1B1 (for Chilean and Singaporean nationals), and immigrant visa categories including EB-2 and EB-3 for Research roles. Researchers with extraordinary ability may also pursue O-1A sponsorship independently, though Microsoft's standard track runs through H-1B for most new hires. Your eligibility depends on your nationality and degree field.
What qualifications does Microsoft expect for Research roles requiring sponsorship?
Most Research positions at Microsoft require a master's or PhD in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, or a closely related field, along with a published research record. Postdoctoral or industry research experience strengthens your application significantly. For USCIS purposes, your degree field must align directly with the research function of the role, not just the broader technology industry.
How do I think about timing when targeting a sponsored Research role at Microsoft?
If you need H-1B sponsorship, the cap filing window runs from April 1 to April 30 each year, with an October 1 employment start. Microsoft typically extends Research offers several months before that window. If you're currently on OPT, confirm your authorization end date leaves enough runway to complete the hiring process before your employer needs to file. Premium processing through USCIS is available if you need a faster petition decision.
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