The AI for Good Research Lab is looking for candidates with backgrounds in political science, economics or similar. We use AI and data to address some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. We work on issues that will improve societies, sustainability and climate change, misinformation and the erosion of democracy, crimes against vulnerable populations, cybersecurity, and disaster response.

Come to work every day knowing you are working on projects that help save lives, alleviate suffering and restore human dignity. Research scientists, machine learning scientists and data scientists with experience in political science, economics or related disciplines have a fantastic opportunity to join the AI for Good team that is led by Microsoft’s Chief Data Scientist. This role will report to the Deputy Director of the AI for Good Research Lab, and work closely with teams across Microsoft. Your work will be a fusion of economics, political science, and AI. It is an unusual mix of skills, but you will be surrounded by world -class applied researchers who have a genuine commitment to AI for Good, and you will have access to our technology, resources, global scale to generate solutions to some of the most demanding and defining challenges of our time.

Responsibilities

• Employ political science or econometric modeling to datasets as diverse as misinformation spread or climate change effects.
• Create machine learning solutions, including artificial intelligence, for a diverse set of problems.
• Work closely with data analysts, data engineers, business and project stakeholders and incorporate their expertise into your analytical solutions.
• Represent our capabilities and product offerings to internal and external leadership audiences, both technical and non-technical.
• Advance the research agenda for AI For Good initiatives: Prepare technical papers and presentations, and publish them internally and externally. Our research philosophy encourages knowledge sharing so you will contribute to the AI for Good research community by publishing papers, collaborating with leading academic institutions and speaking and participating at leading industry events.

Qualifications

Required Experience:

• Masters in political science, economics or similar, with a strong quantitative background. Ph.D. preferred.
• At least 4 years of experience in delivering insights and capabilities through data science, AI or machine learning techniques. E.g., neural networks, NLP, computer vision, random forests and other supervised methods, clustering, PCA, etc.
• At least 4 years of experience with a numerical programming language such as Python/NumPy/Scipy, C#, or similar.
• Familiarity with SQL.
• Research or strong experience in computational aspects of one or more of the following, or highly related, areas preferred: Bayesian modeling, causal inference methods, finite mixture models, generalized linear models, joint modeling, nonlinear mixed models.
• Experience framing and participating in data-driven business decisions, including measuring and evaluating outcomes.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. The ability to translate data science to non-technical people at all levels.
• Working as part of a team, with proven ability to build trusted relationships. Demonstrated ability to work efficiently, prioritize workflow, and meet demanding deadlines.

Preferred Experience:

• Prior work on humanitarian, environmental or economic issues.
• Ph.D. preferred.
• Experience with Tensorflow, PyTorch.
• Experience with cloud-based architectures such as Azure or AWS

#CELA #RESEARCH

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

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