Research Fellow in AI for Software Engineering at Microsoft CoreAI (Bengaluru)
Job Description
Microsoft is inviting applications for research fellow positions in AI for software engineering in Bengaluru, with the Future of Scalable Software Engineering (FoSSE) team in CoreAI (job 200049575).
At a glance
- Position: Research Fellow (fixed term, 1–2 years)
- Where: Bengaluru, Karnataka, co-located with Microsoft Research India (on site)
- Pay: Not stated in the posting
- Eligibility: Completed bachelor’s or master’s in computer science or a related field
- Documents: CV plus at least one recommendation letter
- Apply: open until filled (re-checked 17 October 2026)
About the research fellow role in AI for software engineering
- Work with FoSSE researchers and other Microsoft colleagues on applied research problems where programming languages, software engineering and AI meet
- Experiment with and build tools that work on real-world, very large codebases
- Topics named by the team include code migration, code translation and static analysis, using AI together with formal methods
- Collaborate with Microsoft researchers and product groups, with regular mentoring
FoSSE is an applied research team whose members include full-time researchers and engineers alongside postdocs, interns and research fellows on fixed-term contracts. Microsoft says the position stays open for at least five days and applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until it is filled.
Why this role matters
Research fellowships of this kind are a well-known bridge between a degree and a PhD in India: fellows spend one to two years on real research problems with experienced mentors, and often leave with publications and strong letters. This one focuses on AI applied to code at industrial scale, from migrating legacy systems to static analysis, a fast-growing area in which Microsoft has both the codebases and the research depth.
What Microsoft is looking for
- A completed bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or a related discipline
- Interest in applied research combining programming languages, software engineering and AI
- At least one letter of recommendation, sent by the letter writer directly to the team
Nice to have
- Experience with compilers, program analysis or formal methods
- Experience building tools with large language models for code
- Research projects or publications in PL, SE or machine learning
Pay and location
Microsoft does not state the stipend or salary for this fixed-term role. The fellowship lasts one to two years and is based in Bengaluru, where the team shares space with Microsoft Research India.
How to apply
Apply through the official Microsoft job posting. Microsoft’s posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 17 October 2026. Check the posting for location and work-authorisation details before you apply.
See all our artificial intelligence jobs, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Microsoft
Official advertisement: apply.careers.microsoft.com
How to prepare for this application
- Send the letters right: apply online with your CV, and ask each referee to e-mail their letter directly to fosse-hiring@microsoft.com, the address given in the posting.
- Show code on real systems: a project that analysed, refactored or translated a non-trivial codebase is worth more than a toy benchmark.
- Revise program analysis basics: abstract syntax trees, data-flow analysis, type systems and what a static analyser can and cannot prove.
- LLMs with guarantees: prepare ideas on combining LLM code generation with tests, verification or formal checks.
- Plan the next step: fellows often go on to PhDs; browse PhD positions to see where this could lead.
About Microsoft and Microsoft Research India
Microsoft is a US technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft Research India, founded in Bengaluru in 2005, works on AI and machine learning, algorithms and theory, systems, and technology for emerging markets, and is known for its research fellow programme for recent graduates. CoreAI is the Microsoft organisation that builds AI platforms and developer tools.
