Microsoft Discovery Program

Discover Microsoft

Find inspiration and empower your future with Microsoft’s High School Discovery Program. Receive hands-on learning as you explore technology opportunities at Microsoft that make a difference in people’s lives around the world.

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About Microsoft Discovery Program

During this 4-week internship, Discoverers will have the opportunity to gain hands on project experience, develop professional skills while gaining mentorship from Microsoft employees. You will discover how your passions can evolve into a career in tech at Microsoft and beyond.

Microsoft’s High School Discovery Program is open to rising first-year students of a bachelor’s degree program (graduating high school seniors) that live around Redmond, Washington OR Atlanta, Georgia who have an interest in technology.

Program information

Program criteria
- High school graduating seniors that live and attend high school within 50 miles of Redmond, Washington OR live and attend high school around Atlanta, Georgia.
- Completed pre-calculus or an equivalent course by the start of the program.
- For the Redmond, Washington office location, applicants who are members or participants Microsoft sponsored organizations. For a full list of participating organizations please see our FAQs section.
- For the Atlanta, Georgia office location, applicants must attend shools within the Atlanta Public Schools, Dekalb, Fulton, Cobb and Gwinnett County School Districts. For a full list of participating schools please see our FAQs section.
Application information
Your application is not considered complete until the additional information listed below is answered and submitted in the same document as your resume:
- Have you applied/been accepted to any colleges/universities? Please name the college or university.
- Intended Major
- Please list if you are a member or affiliated with any extracurricular and/or academic support organization(s).
We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will start reaching out in March to schedule interviews.

Applications open in early February. This is a paid opportunity, and participants should be available to work full-time, onsite at either the Redmond or Atlanta campus for 4 consecutive weeks between July and August.

2026 Program Dates

Atlanta: July 6 - July 31, 2026

Redmond: July 13 - August 7, 2026

Discovery Program internships

Principal Software Engineer

2026-03-26

United States, Washington, Redmond

3 days / week in-office

Overview We are looking for an outstanding Principal Software Engineer to join the Microsoft Discovery team and work on an exciting new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven platform that will transform the scientific research process. Microsoft Discovery is a cutting-edge enterprise platform that uses AI agents and high-performance computing to accelerate research and development (R&D) in science and engineering. Microsoft Discovery is already driving breakthroughs in collaboration with partners across industries like chemistry and materials, energy, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals, showcasing its potential to solve real-world challenges through AI-powered discovery. We innovate quickly, learn from data and experience, think creatively, and have fun – all while tackling challenging customer and partner problems. You will be part of a startup-like environment within Microsoft, joining a highly motivated team that enjoys tough challenges and rapid development iterations. We collaborate closely with key platform teams across Microsoft and Microsoft Research to design, build, and operate the Discovery platform and related products. In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. Responsibilities As a Principal Software Engineer, you will: <ul><li>Define architectural direction for the product and build scalable, distributed systems from the ground up. </li><li>Drive end-to-end scenarios from ideation to global rollout. </li><li>Mentor engineers and grow engineering excellence across the team. </li><li>Lead team-wide adoption of AI-enabled process enhancements to improve engineering velocity and service reliability. </li><li>Initiate and lead collaboration with Microsoft Research and platform teams to integrate cutting-edge technologies. </li><li>Apply site-reliability engineering practices to ensure robust operations. </li></ul>Other:<ul><li>Embody our <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about/corporate-values" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Culture </a>and <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/culture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Values</a></li></ul> Qualifications Required/minimum qualifications<ul><li>Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 6+ years of experience in commercial software development<ul><li>OR equivalent experience.</li></ul></li><li>4+ years of experience building and operating reliable distributed systems. </li><li>Familiarity with building AI-powered services and multi-agent systems. </li></ul>Other Requirements:<ul><li>Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: <ul><li>Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.</li></ul></li></ul>Preferred Qualifications:<ul><li>Technical leadership experience with cloud platforms and enterprise-scale services. </li><li>Familiarity with widely used scientific tools in chemistry, physics and bio sciences. </li><li>Proficiency in building web user experience for scientists or developers. </li><li>Deep problem-solving skills and a bias for action. </li><li>Passion for scientific innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration. </li><li>Advanced degree (MS/PhD) is a plus. </li></ul>#MicrosoftDiscovery Software Engineering IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $139,900 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: <a href='https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay'>https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay</a> This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. <hr> Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html">requesting accommodations.</a>

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Senior Researcher - Machine Learning for Health and Life Sciences - Microsoft Research

2026-03-22

United Kingdom, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge

3 days / week in-office

Overview Health Futures is a mission-focused organization within Microsoft Research, working at the forefront of artificial intelligence, healthcare, and life sciences research. We are a global and diverse team of engineers, scientists and domain experts who are working on expanding the technological frontier of health and life sciences through deep research. We offer a unique and vibrant environment that features innovative academic research, enterprise software development, and real-world delivery, with close feedback loops and rapid iterations between all three. Our mission is to empower every person on the planet to live a healthier future. We are looking for a Senior Researcher to help us advance the ways artificial intelligence can accelerate and advance discovery in biomedicine and the life sciences. This role is ideal for a candidate with intellectual curiosity who wants to craft a research agenda, articulate it clearly to team members with a diverse set of backgrounds, and execute it as a member of that research team. Successful applicants will draw from an interdisciplinary background covering everything from deep learning fundamentals to molecular biology and will be passionate about making new discoveries in health and the life sciences. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. Responsibilities <div><ul style="list-style-type: disc;" role="list"><li role="listitem" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="0" data-list-defn-props="{"335551671":0,"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Aptos","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"-","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="12" data-font="Aptos" data-leveltext="-" aria-setsize="-1">Design, implement, and evaluate novel methodology for scientific discovery through artificial intelligence, non-exhaustively including techniques around post-training, inference-time optimization, interpretability, and experimental design.</li></ul></div><div><ul style="list-style-type: disc;" role="list"><li role="listitem" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335551671":0,"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Aptos","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"-","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="12" data-font="Aptos" data-leveltext="-" aria-setsize="-1">Conduct rigorous investigations into the capabilities of deep learning models in the realm of health and life sciences research. </li></ul></div><div><ul style="list-style-type: disc;" role="list"><li role="listitem" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335551671":0,"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Aptos","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"-","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="12" data-font="Aptos" data-leveltext="-" aria-setsize="-1">Participate in reproducible and collaborative team-based technical research. </li></ul></div><div><ul style="list-style-type: disc;" role="list"><li role="listitem" data-aria-level="1" data-aria-posinset="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335551671":0,"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Aptos","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"-","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-listid="12" data-font="Aptos" data-leveltext="-" aria-setsize="-1">Communicate research findings internally and externally. </li></ul></div> Qualifications Required  <ul><li>Doctorate in relevant field OR Master's Degree in relevant field AND 3+ years related research experience OR Bachelor's Degree in relevant field AND 4+ years related research experience OR equivalent experience   </li></ul>Preferred  <ul><li>Expertise in machine learning for scientific discovery, including any of the following: <ul><li>Interpretability (post-hoc, ante-hoc, mechanistic) </li><li>Reasoning and inference-time optimization </li><li>Experimental design </li></ul></li><li>Other uses of AI for scientific discovery </li><li>Expertise in multimodal and large-scale deep learning in computational biology and medicine, including model design, training (such as post-training, including reinforcement learning), and/or evaluation. </li><li>Experience developing software, systems, or workflows that leverage generative AI-based systems to solve real-world problems in the life sciences. </li><li>Experience working with biological data such as transcriptomics, microscopy, and other -omics modalities. </li><li>Experience creating robust, reproducible technical artifacts as part of an interdisciplinary team. </li><li>A track record of scientific publication in any of the above domains</li></ul> This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. <hr> Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html">requesting accommodations.</a>

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Senior Applied Data Scientist

2026-03-25

India, Telangana, Hyderabad

3 days / week in-office

Overview Our team builds the intelligence layer that powers Microsoft’s next‑generation threat detection ecosystem—spanning Vortex, Threat Graph, Verdict Net, and campaign‑correlation workflows. We combine deep applied science, graph‑theoretic reasoning, large‑scale machine‑learning, and multi‑modal security analytics to uncover hidden attack patterns across identity, endpoint, network, and cloud. As part of a multidisciplinary organization, we design graph algorithms, develop ML models, operationalize high‑confidence security signals, and partner closely with detection engineering to translate research into customer‑impacting protections. Our work drives core advancements in attack‑path discovery, anomaly detection, graph construction, and threat‑hunting experiences across Microsoft Security. Responsibilities <h2>Key Responsibilities</h2><ul><li>Machine Learning & Data Science</li><li>Graph Analytics & Threat Reasoning</li><li>Graph Database & Platform Expertise</li><li>Research & Innovation</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Design, train, and deploy supervised/unsupervised ML models for:<ul><li style="list-style-type: none;"><ul><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">anomaly detection</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">attack pattern discovery</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">similarity scoring</li></ul></li></ul></li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Build ML pipelines that operate on large‑scale, heterogeneous security telemetry.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Develop graph embeddings, GNN models, clustering, and temporal sequence models to detect emerging threats.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Build and optimize graph traversal algorithms for multi-hop attack path discovery.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Correlate signals across identity, endpoint, network, and cloud domains.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Analyze entities, edges, and temporal relationships to surface hidden attacker behaviors.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Design/optimize graph schemas, ontologies, and semantic layers for threat detection.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Work with graph-native DBs and query languages (e.g., GQL, ADX/Kusto).</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Partner with infra teams to scale graph workloads across customer data.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay current with academic research and convert novel ML/graph techniques into practical security applications.</li><li style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Run experimentation cycles (A/B tests, offline evaluation, model validation) to optimize detection precision/recall.</li><li>Discover new attack patterns using clustering, community detection, and probabilistic methods.</li><li>Cross‑Functional Collaboration</li><li style="list-style-type: none;"><ul><li style="list-style-type: none;"><ul><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Partner with detection engineering, red teaming, and product teams to integrate ML/graph intelligence into protections.</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Translate complex graph/ML insights into actionable detection logic and SOC‑ready intelligence.</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Communicate findings to security architects and leadership through visualizations, dashboards, and well‑structured narratives.</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul> Qualifications 7+ years of hands-on experience in applied ML, data science, or security analytics.<ul><li style="list-style-type: none;"><ul><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Strong expertise in one or more of:<ul><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Graph algorithms, graph databases, GNNs</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Large‑scale ML pipelines</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Unsupervised/behavioral anomaly detection</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Statistical modeling, clustering, embeddings</li></ul></li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Deep proficiency in Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow, and data processing frameworks.</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience working with large‑scale telemetry (security logs, identity signals, network events, etc.).</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Experience with distributed data systems and query languages (ADX/KQL, Spark, or similar).</li><li style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Strong problem‑solving skills with ability to work on ambiguous research problems.</li></ul></li></ul>#Msec# This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. <hr> Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html">requesting accommodations.</a>

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Frequently asked questions

Which Microsoft supported organizations or public schools can apply for this opportunity?
For the Redmond, Washington office location, applicants who are members or participants Microsoft sponsored organizations.
- Computing for All
- College Success Foundations
- Washington MESA
- Rainier Scholars
- Technology Access Foundation
- UW STEMsub Program
For the Atlanta, Georgia office location, applicants must attend schools within the Atlanta Public Schools (APS), Clayton County, Cobb County, DeKalb County, Douglas County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County .
What can I expect to do during Discovery Microsoft?

Over the 4 weeks of the program each pod of Discoverers will gain hands on project experience. These project are in various disciplines and do not require any previous technical experience. All projects will focus on providing Discoverers the opportunity to practice a Growth Mindset and the Microsoft cultural attributes of being Customer-obsessed, Diversity & Inclusion & One Microsoft.

You will work in a small team to complete a project for your product group through which you will gain exposure to the product development Design phase and gain visibility to Software engineering, PM (Technical PM or Product Management) and UX Design disciplines. You will work on a project to understand the pain point, the unarticulated customer needs, and then from there build out the what and why.
Will I work in a few groups during this experience, or focus on a specific goal in one group?
I don't live or attend high school in Western Washington, but I can stay with a friend or relative in the area. Am I eligible to apply?

Your application will not be considered. In order to be eligible for the Redmond, Washington location, you must be enrolled at a school in Western Washington and live at an address within 50 miles of Redmond, WA at the time your application is submitted. We encourage you to consider our Explore Program and university internship opportunities that are global. We do hope to expand our programs in the future to include additional Microsoft campuses in other cities.
I will not be a rising college freshman. Can I still apply for the program?
I would like to apply, but I can't be available for the full 4 weeks. Can I still participate?
I am not sure what I want to major I want to declare in college, can I still apply?
I submitted my application. What happens next?

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Microsoft Discovery Program

Discover Microsoft

About Microsoft Discovery Program

Program information

Program criteria

Application information

Discovery Program internships

Principal Software Engineer

Senior Researcher - Machine Learning for Health and Life Sciences - Microsoft Research

Senior Applied Data Scientist

Frequently asked questions

Which Microsoft supported organizations or public schools can apply for this opportunity?

What can I expect to do during Discovery Microsoft?

Will I work in a few groups during this experience, or focus on a specific goal in one group?

I don't live or attend high school in Western Washington, but I can stay with a friend or relative in the area. Am I eligible to apply?

I will not be a rising college freshman. Can I still apply for the program?

I would like to apply, but I can't be available for the full 4 weeks. Can I still participate?

I am not sure what I want to major I want to declare in college, can I still apply?

I submitted my application. What happens next?

Life at Microsoft

Benefits

Culture

Diversity and inclusion

Hiring Tips