Principal Rsde

Vector search (or nearest neighbor search) is foundational component for semantic search and retrieval-augmentation in copilots and other generative AI. DiskANN is a research project in Microsoft Research India that develops state-of-the-art vector search algorithms and databases. As part of the DiskANN project, you would be defining the future of vector databases for Microsoft and the broader research community.

You will be part of a hands-on interdisciplinary research team and build research systems with immediate and wide-reaching impact across Microsoft, and the industry. Some research goals include:

- Building state-of-the-art vector databases spanning many price-performance characteristics.
- How can vector search better interact with retrieval and generative models?
- Developing and understanding fundamentally better vector search algorithms.

Microsoft Research India is one of the most attractive places to pursue a career in Computer Science and related disciplines. The lab has a vibrant research environment of the highest standard, and a welcoming social life of diverse and international culture. Besides full-time researchers and engineers, the lab hosts many postdoctoral researchers (with PhDs) and research fellows (with bachelor's or master's degrees) on fixed-term appointments, who add significantly to the lab’s vibrancy. Read more about Microsoft’s commitment to Global Diversity and Inclusion here.

Visit Microsoft Research India for more information.

**Responsibilities**:
**Responsibilities**:

- Work with research teams to prototype innovative algorithms and high-performance systems.
- Develop tools for experimentation and enabling research.
- Work with relevant product and business groups to validate and deploy prototypes.
- Develop and maintain a central repository for the project with continuous testing of features, functionality, performance, and reliability.
- Review internal and external contributions to the repository.
- Coordinate across teams on testing and development of new features.

**Qualifications**:
Required
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field and 10+ years of work experience
- Industry experience involving design, development, and maintenance of high-performance software in C++ or Rust.
- Knowledge of agile or iterative Software Development Life Cycle.

Additional or Preferred Qualifications
- Industry experience working on database, storage, or high-performance computing systems.
- Experience maintaining open-source software.
- Hands on experience with deploying solutions at scale.