Microsoft Research Podcast

Senior Researcher Arindam Mitra introduces AgentInstruct. Using raw data sources, the automated multi-agent framework can create diverse, high-quality synthetic data at scale for the post-training of small and large language models.Read the paper

Printed circuit boards are abundant—in the stuff we use and in landfills. Researcher Jake Smith and professor Aniruddh Vashisth discuss the development of vitrimer-based PCBs that perform comparably to traditional PCBs but have less environmental impact.Learn more:Recyclable vitrimer-based printed circuit boards for sustainable electronics | Nature Sustainability, April 2024Microsoft Climate Research InitiativeMicrosoft Research AI for ScienceStoring digital data in synthetic DNA with Dr. Karin Strauss | Microsoft Research Podcast, October 2018

Behnaz Arzani loves hard problems and the freedom to explore. That makes research a great fit! She discusses her work in network management, including the potential role of LLMs in the field; the challenges that excite her; and how storytelling changed her life.Learn more:Solving Max-Min Fair Resource Allocations Quickly on Large Graphs | Publication, February 2024Finding Adversarial Inputs for Heuristics using Multi-level Optimization | Publication, February 2024MetaOpt: Examining, explaining, and improving heuristic performance | Microsoft Research blog, January 2024A Holistic View of AI-driven Network Incident Management | Publication, October 2023Behnaz Arzani: Painting, storytelling, and other hobbies | Microsoft Research bio page

Principal PM Manager Weishung Liu shares how a career delivering products and customer experiences aligns with her love of people and storytelling and how—despite efforts to defy the expectations that come with growing up in Silicon Valley—she landed in tech.Learn more:Weishung Liu at Microsoft ResearchWatch For | Project pageDeveloper Tech Minutes: Watch For | Video, 2021

Join Abigail Sellen, a Distinguished Scientist and Lab Director at Microsoft Research Cambridge, as she dives into the intricacies of human-centric AI design. She emphasizes the importance of understanding AI's impact on cognition and the economy through the AICE initiative. Abigail discusses the co-pilot metaphor, portraying AI as a supportive partner to enhance human agency. They dig into the delicate balance between digital and physical workspaces, advocating for thoughtful integration of technology while addressing its role in shaping societal norms.

Andrey Kolobov, Principal Research Manager at Microsoft, discusses real-time wind prediction for drones using AI, enhancing flight efficiency and enabling quick deliveries. The research focuses on training models with limited data sources and synthetically generated data to accurately predict wind fields, ensuring drone safety in complex terrains and urban settings.

Jacki O'Neill saw an opportunity to expand Microsoft research efforts to Africa. She now leads Microsoft Research Africa, Nairobi (formerly MARI). O'Neill talks about the choices that got her there, the lab’s impact, and how living abroad is good for innovation. Learn more:Jacki O'Neill at Microsoft ResearchMicrosoft Research Africa (formerly MARI)

Researcher Michel Galley explores how he and fellow researchers combined new and existing data to create MathVista, an open-source benchmark for measuring the mathematical reasoning capabilities of foundation models in scenarios that involve text and images.Read the paperGet the code & dataset

Rafah Hosn, partner group product manager for AI Frontiers at Microsoft Research, discusses the challenges and excitement of pushing AI boundaries. They talk about the importance of maintaining a culture of curiosity and skepticism, the need for rapid adaptation in AI research, and the significance of responsible innovation in AI development.

Tusher Chakraborty discusses Spectrumize paper addressing IoT connectivity challenges via satellite networks. Topics include leveraging small satellites for communication efficiency, democratizing global connectivity, satellite tone recognition using software, and challenges in satellite network research.