Overview

As a member of the Microsoft Threat Protection Security Research (MTP-R) Team, you’ll be joining a diverse global community of engineers, program managers, data scientists, security researchers, and threat hunters. The evolution of the threat landscape - driven by machine-speed innovation - demands that we move beyond incremental improvement. Attackers now leverage AI not just as an assistant, but as the engine of entire campaigns, automating infrastructure, interpreting threat intel, crafting personalized phishing, and exploiting both cloud and on-prem environments with unprecedented agility. As we transition into the GenAI era, our vision for Security must be transformative - integrating human expertise with autonomous AI agents to drive rapid detection, automate response, and continuously improve protection.

We're looking for Senior Principal Researcher that will help us shape our protection value story in every customer interaction. This team is accountable for creating and driving customer engagement and response programs as part of our end-to-end protection value. You will work on driving transformation in our security response and customer engagement process with the mission to reimagine how we engage with customers to deliver unified, impactful, and delightful security experiences. This is a critical role at the intersection of technology, operations, and customer experience.

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

• Defines and drives a long‑term research vision aligned with Microsoft strategy, influencing company direction and the broader research community.

• Leads large‑scale, cross‑org and external research programs delivering novel theories, algorithms, systems, tools, or datasets with broad impact.

• Provides technical and scientific leadership on research methods, tools, and technologies to ensure rigor, quality, and ethical best practices.

• Applies deep domain expertise and field awareness to shape Microsoft’s research investments and position in the evolving research landscape.

• Integrates security, privacy, and responsible AI principles into research design, execution, and policy influence.

• Serves as a recognized thought leader through influential publications, conference leadership, and sustained external impact comparable to a senior academic leader.

Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications

• Doctorate in relevant field AND 6+ years related research experience OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 7+ years related research experience OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 9+ years related research experience
• OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

Ability 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 relevant field AND 8+ years related research experience
• OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 12+ years related research experience OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 15+ years related research experience
• OR equivalent experience.
• Experience publishing academic papers as a lead author or essential contributor.
• Experience participating in a top conference in relevant research domain.

Research Sciences IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $163,000 - $296,400 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 $220,800 - $331,200 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, read more about requesting accommodations.