Overview

Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Microsoft Security organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world.

The Cyber + AI Lab is a new Microsoft-backed innovation environment focused on exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. The lab brings together Microsoft engineers, startups, researchers, and ecosystem partners to experiment with next-generation capabilities, evaluate new security challenges created by AI systems, and accelerate practical solutions that strengthen the security of modern digital infrastructure. As a Senior Security Researcher, you will play a foundational technical role in shaping the lab’s research and experimentation agenda. Working in a highly collaborative and fast-moving environment, you will design and build applied research prototypes, investigate emerging threats to AI and software systems, and help translate cutting-edge ideas into real-world demonstrations and insights that inform Microsoft teams, partners, and the broader security community.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead technical experiments exploring the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, translating research concepts into working prototypes and demonstrations.
• Build and operate lab environments, datasets, and model pipelines to test security scenarios involving AI systems, threat intelligence, and autonomous platforms.
• Conduct security research and adversarial analysis on modern AI and software systems, identifying risks, vulnerabilities, and defensive strategies.
• Collaborate with Microsoft engineering teams, startups, universities, and ecosystem partners to evaluate new technologies and accelerate applied research outcomes.
• Develop technical demonstrations, proof-of-concepts, and applied research outputs that showcase innovations emerging from the Cyber + AI Lab.
• Contribute to technical insights, reports, and presentations that translate lab research into actionable intelligence for Microsoft teams, partners, and the broader security community.

Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications

• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR equivalent experience.

Candidates must be able 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 thereafter.

Additional or preferred qualifications

• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of experience conducting security research, vulnerability analysis, threat analysis, or adversarial testing of software, cloud services, or AI/ML systems.
• Experience building or working with technical prototypes, research environments, or experimental systems, including scripting or programming (e.g., Python, C/C++, Rust, Go, or similar).
• Experience analyzing modern security threats such as adversarial attacks, software vulnerabilities, or misuse of emerging technologies including AI/ML systems.
• Experience researching or securing AI/ML systems, including adversarial machine learning, model misuse, or emerging security risks in modern AI platforms.
• Experience building security research tools, prototypes, or experimental systems, particularly in cloud, distributed systems, or AI-driven environments.
• Experience collaborating with startups, academic researchers, or cross-industry partners to evaluate emerging technologies or translate research into applied security solutions.

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Security Research 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.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

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.