Senior Systems Research Engineer - Research Engineering - MSR Cambridge

Role Overview

We are seeking a Systems Research Engineer to accelerate our Future AI Infrastructure research area. The role requires mandatory implementation skills and close collaboration with researchers and product teams to translate research into products used by millions worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with researchers to identify, design, and implement proof‑of‑concept solutions to advanced AI infrastructure challenges.
• Partner with product teams to guide research discoveries into shipping products.
• Contribute to the design and prioritisation of research activities by combining computer‑systems research and software engineering expertise.
• Build prototypes of future AI systems, sometimes advancing them to product‑level readiness.
• Evaluate prototypes and author clear results reports for diverse audiences.
• Facilitate smooth technology transfer between researchers and product teams.
• Apply best practices and maintain high‑quality engineering standards to reinforce a positive work environment.
• Gain deep expertise in one or more research sub‑areas while maintaining a broad understanding of the full domain.
• Understand relevant literature and applicable research techniques.
• Contribute to academic publications of research outcomes.
• Ensure high standards of software security across prototypes and library supply chains.
• Follow ethics and privacy policies related to research processes and data handling.

Qualifications

• Required: Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent training and experience).
• Proficient in collaborative Python development and lower‑level languages.
• Experience with operating systems, performance analysis, distributed systems, or CPU/GPU architecture.
• Experience with low‑level systems and performance‑tuning trade‑offs.
• Excellent written and spoken English communication skills, able to justify assumptions to diverse technical audiences.
• Willingness and flexibility to operate in a highly agile and dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work within large codebases.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate (PhD) in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent training and experience).
• Experience with cluster‑based distributed data processing techniques.
• Experience with internals of machine learning systems.
• Demonstrated experience working within a multi‑disciplinary team.

Benefits

Research Sciences IC4 – The typical base pay range for this role across the United Kingdom is £74,700.00 – £122,600.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for additional benefits and compensation.

Team & Location

This role is within the Research Engineering team at MSR Cambridge, which works across all research areas in MSR Cambridge and is deeply embedded in research projects.