Senior NLP/ML Researcher

Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi is looking for a full-time Senior Researcher to join the dynamic, multidisciplinary team at Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi. The ideal candidate will have deep ML/NLP/Generative AI research experience, a proven track record of research leadership, experience or interest in working with a multidisciplinary team and a dedication to impact in Africa.  

Microsoft Research Africa’s mission is to understand, build and deploy innovative cloud and AI technologies which not only address core opportunities in Africa and contribute to solving local challenges at scale, but which contribute to creating better futures of work, health and society globally. We’re pursuing an ambitious research agenda to create Globally Equitable Generative AI, including foundational innovation in

• Machine Learning and Generative AI models
• The platforms built on top of the models
• The applications using generative AI

This involves solving deep technical and socio-technical challenges including NLP for African and under-resourced languages and the production of culturally, linguistically and contextually appropriate output. Microsoft Research Africa is a relatively young research lab, and we are looking for team members committed to growing our research agenda and creating impact.

The ideal candidate will be excited to work in a multidisciplinary team, consisting of ethnographers, computer scientists, human-computer interaction researchers, designers and engineers. They must have an appreciation for the value of working with deep qualitative research and delight in pushing the boundaries of their academic disciplines through cross-disciplinary partnerships.

If you are a researcher who is passionate about designing Globally Equitable Generative AI and understands the importance of multidisciplinary research, this might be the opportunity for you.