All Things Urban

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We do business in 170 countries and are made up of 114,000 passionate employees dedicated to fulfilling our mission of helping you and your organization achieve more.

The Urban Innovation Initiative at the Microsoft Research Redmond Lab pursues state of the art science and technology development for urbanization. Lines of research focus on mitigating the environmental impact of our increasingly urban world, ensuring equitable economic growth, and building strong communities.

This highly multidisciplinary team seeks Postdoc Researchers in environmental science (or related) and urban economics (or related) to help advance this agenda. You will work collaboratively with our team of social, natural, and computer scientists, and electrical, hardware, and software engineers to generate basic research and to deploy technology to urban environments.

Microsoft works with the world’s best researchers, who move with the current of technology as it rapidly evolves. Together we share the motivation to seek innovative solutions to the world’s toughest challenges and improve the lives of people everywhere. The ideal postdoc has outstanding communication skills and the ability to develop original research agendas, while still being a team player. Microsoft Research provides a collaborative, supportive environment. If you thrive in environments of “deep thinking” and fast-paced entrepreneurial execution, then this is the place for you.

As a postdoc, you will define your own research agenda, and drive an effective program of basic and applied research in your area. This includes formulating and executing novel research projects, authoring research papers, and presenting work at relevant conferences. In addition to driving your own research agenda, we highly value collaboration and building new ideas with members of the team and others. As such, you will also contribute to the Urban Innovation Initiative’s real-world research deployments and collaborations with Microsoft product groups. You have the opportunity to realize your ideas in products and services used worldwide.

• PhD in urban systems, natural sciences, economics, computer science, or an interdisciplinary program. (required)
• A research program demonstrated by journal and conference publications
• Strong communication skills
• The ability to work in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary environment
• Demonstrated leadership potential in research
• Complementary expertise to the rest of the team
• REFERENCES: when completing your application, please take the time to provide 3 or more references so that we can fully consider your candidacy.
• RESEARCH STATEMENT: In addition to your CV, please also include a separate Research Statement document (max. 3 pages) summarizing your doctoral research and identifying areas of future work you plan to undertake.
• COVER LETTER: Please also include a cover letter that summarizes your candidacy and expected contribution to the research team.

We’re not fully sure whether this role is open to international candidates. If you would need visa sponsorship or work authorisation, we recommend checking directly with the employer before applying.