Senior Applied Scientist(Agentic RL & LLM Post-Training)

Overview STCA Research team is seeking passionate researchers to join our team advancing the frontier of Agentic AI, AI-native Innovations, RL and Model tuning, and Agentic Software Engineering. We are building intelligent systems that reason, act, and evolve—transforming how AI and Agents interact with data, code, and users across platforms. Our team leads innovation in LLM-based Agents, Agentic AI, Recursive Self-Improvements, Reinforcement Learning, Model Tuning, Agentic Software Engineering, LLM Privacy, and AI Efficiency. We aim to push the boundaries of AI and Agentic capabilities, enabling autonomous systems to learn, adapt, collaborate, and self-evolve at scale. Responsibilities • Conduct innovative research in Agentic AI, LLMs, Agentic Software Engineering, RL, RSI, model tuning, LLM Privacy, or Efficient AI. • Design and prototype agentic systems that autonomously perform tasks, make decisions, and interact with users and other agents. • Develop scalable algorithms for agentic systems, memory-augmented reasoning, or efficient learning. • Collaborate with engineering teams to integrate research into key Microsoft products. • Publish in top-tier venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, KDD, ICSE, FSE, OSDI, etc.) and contribute SOTA technologies to academia/industry community. Qualifications Qualifications: • PhD (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, AI, ML, or related fields. • Good publication record in AI, ML, Agent, or Software/System Research. • Experience with LLMs, Agent frameworks, and ML toolkits. • Experience with common programming languages and AI coding tools. Preferred: • Rich experience with Agentic AI. • Familiarity with vibe coding workflows, AI-native development lifecycles, model tuning, AI optimization, or reinforcement learning. • Demonstrated ability to translate research into real systems and product impact. Microsoft Culture We embrace a growth mindset and empower every person and organization to achieve more. Our team values curiosity, collaboration, and impact. We are committed to building inclusive technologies and fostering a diverse research community. 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, read more about requesting accommodations.