Research Scientist, Futures Team

About the Role

We are looking for a brilliant Researcher to work directly in support of Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI. This is a role for a someone equally at home with machine learning papers, economic history, cognitive science, policy analysis and the long arc of technology, who can get to the bottom of a hard question quickly and come back with a clear, well-sourced answer. You will research, synthesize and communicate at the very highest level, producing work that is read closely by the CEO and MAI’s senior leadership and that shapes how we think, speak and plan. The range is wide and the pace is fast: in a single week you might move from a deep dive on frontier model capabilities to a historical analogy for a speech to a first-principles analysis of a product decision. You will be practical and hands-on, taking ideas through to memos, decks, briefings and published pieces. In addition, you will support the wider Futures team’s projects alongside your work for the CEO. The role is based in the Bay Area, working out of our Mountain View office.

Job Overview

• Conduct rapid, rigorous research for the CEO of Microsoft AI across an exceptionally wide range of subjects, from frontier AI capabilities and the science of intelligence to economics, history, geopolitics, philosophy, product strategy and culture. Get to the heart of a question fast and return with a clear, well-sourced answer. 
• Synthesize large and disparate bodies of material, from academic papers and technical reports to books, datasets, interviews and internal Microsoft work, into crisp, structured outputs: briefings, memos, notes, talking points, long-form drafts and presentations, each calibrated to the reader and the moment. 
• Support the CEO’s writing, speaking and thought leadership, including research, argument development and fact-checking for essays, speeches, interviews, books and public statements, holding exacting standards of accuracy and intellectual honesty. 
• Track and interpret developments across the AI landscape and adjacent fields, proactively surfacing what matters, why it matters, and what it implies for Microsoft AI’s strategy, products and public positions. 
• Work across many projects at once, moving fluidly between them and re-prioritizing as the needs of the CEO and the Futures team change. Manage your own time and deliver reliably to tight deadlines. 
• Support the wider Futures team on its projects, from scenario work and long-range planning to publications, convenings and events, contributing research, writing, analysis and hands-on execution as needed. You’ll get stuck in on every level of practical implementation.  
• Be hands on. Take ideas from research through to delivery: build the deck, draft the document, run the analysis, organize the session, coordinate with partner teams and see the work through to completion.
• Build and maintain a network of expert sources and contacts across Microsoft Research, product teams and the external academic, policy and technology communities, and draw on them to strengthen the quality and speed of our work.
• Handle sensitive and confidential material with the utmost discretion and judgment.
• Apply yourself to a range of urgent questions, from must-have briefings to communication messages, as needed across the Office of Microsoft AI’s CEO.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in any discipline AND 5+ years’ experience in research, analysis or writing in academia, journalism, a think tank, consulting, policy or a technology company 
• OR Master’s degree or PhD AND 3+ years’ related experience 
• OR equivalent experience. 
• Demonstrated track record of high-quality research and writing across more than one discipline, evidenced by published work, reports, briefings or equivalent outputs. 
• Proven ability to synthesize complex material rapidly and communicate it clearly, in writing and in person, to senior audiences. 
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep familiarity with AI: its technical foundations, its history, the current research frontier and the debates around its societal impact. 
• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in any field, combined with demonstrable intellectual range well beyond your home discipline. 
• Experience working directly with senior executives, founders, public intellectuals or political leaders in a research, speechwriting, chief of staff or advisory capacity. 

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 $160,200 - $261,000 per year.