Advanced Development Group

Chetan Bansal

ADG group at MSR India is one of the very few places which gives you the freedom and opportunity to explore different domains of Computer Science both in Engineering and Research. You will get to work with and learn from some of the best Engineers and Researchers.

I interned with ADG for 6 months in 2013 during which I worked on 2 projects related to Big Data, Crypto & UX. It was a great learning experience with respect to Software Engineering and Project management. There was a good amount of freedom as you are expected to ideate and influence the project.

Apart from work, MSRI has a very open culture and a fun environment, there are a lot of intern parties and internal events. You can walk up to anyone and seek advice on Jobs, Grad Schools or anything else. Thanks to funding by MSRI, I also got an opportunity to attend the ETAPS Conference in Rome for my conference publication.

Sangeeth Kumar

If there’s one team where you would like to explore the breadth and the width of Microsoft, it must be ADG.

In my time, I’ve seen people in this team work on Windows, Windows Phone, Azure, Kinect, Web technologies (and that’s not even an exhaustive list!). Almost any crazy idea is most certainly welcomed over here or at the very least, definitely suited for an informal brainstorming session with the team members over lunch.

I took this internship during the final semester of my B.E. CSE in 2012. This first ever exposure to the industry was unbelievable and really fast paced, given that I got to learn the art from Brilliant minds. In my career, this made a great difference, by providing me a boosted head start ahead of others.

This team is also the best place to experience the Microsoft culture and it stays right on the balance between being a Research team and an Engineering team. The only bad part of this internship for me was that it ended in 6 months… If you have decided to take an internship, never ask yourself twice. Just apply for this role! You will love it!

Abhinav Duggal

I interned at the Advanced Development Group (ADG) at MSR India Lab from Jan to June 2014 and believe me they were one of the most well spent 6 months of my life.

I learned more about my discipline (Computer Science) than I did in my college years. It wasn’t just what I learnt but the people who I worked with, the likes of Pushkar, Suresh , Satish and Bash were awesome really. These guys made it a great experience for me.

ADG taught me valuable lessons in accountability, code quality, robust design and most importantly enjoying your work. I always felt that the scope for innovation, learning and development for an individual is huge at MSR. The variety of fields one can get hands on experience here is limited to your imagination and enthusiasm to learn.

Samarth Prakash

I worked at Microsoft Research India as a research intern from Jan to June 2007. They were perhaps the most fulfilling 6 months of my life. And, I had great fun too. I worked mostly on the Geocoder project and did get a feel of the Virtual India project.

What struck me was that the people at the lab were so passionate about what they were doing and were enjoying themselves thoroughly. And it surely did rub off on me. I had a really good time, in all respects. Joseph, Vibhuti, Tanuja and Gopal were great to work with and the environment in the lab was fantastic; everybody and everything was almost beyond expectation.

The experience at MSRI has helped immensely. Previously, I wasn’t really inclined towards research, but MSRI ignited a spark somewhere, and pulled me towards research, even though I was in the Advanced Development Group. After that I cannot quite do any other routine work. I was also lucky to get the opportunity to co-author a paper with exceptional people.

Everyone in the lab somehow manages to combine great work and dedication with fun and enjoyment. This experience is something I will cherish all my life. Truly remarkable.

Prateeksha Chandraghatgi

My 6 month stint at MSR was one of the most interesting, fun and informational periods of my life. Partly because it was my first job :-), but mostly because of the great atmosphere it provides for one to learn, work and party all at the same time. The people in MSR were extremely smart, friendly, interesting, fun loving and more than anything else, encouraging and accommodating. These are not just a bunch of adjectives I pulled from the dictionary. I mean every word of it.

I could not have kick started my career in a better fashion. I have profited from my encounter with every person in MSR, in more ways than one. And that’s another great thing. In MSR, you don’t just work with your team, you work with the whole lab. You have interesting talks, exciting discussions, fun filled outings and activities; and all this apart from the opportunity you are given to express yourself, go after your ideas, and follow exactly what you want. MSR will always have a warm place in my heart.

Robin Anil

To tell the truth, I was in a state of confusion when I got accepted at MSR India as an intern, as I had to decide whether I should take the internship offer from a University abroad or come to MSRI. And now, at the end of my second internship, here I am feeling that this was the best decision I made in my life. This has the same level of excitement working in a startup if not more.

I was given a concept that was broad and I had to abstract it out and create a proof of concept. On the way I faced number of challenges which required my learning of in depth knowledge of new concepts in .NET programming. I was given access to plethora of tools and utilities which made coding challenging and never tiring.

One cool part about the internship was how I could subscribe to many of the discussion groups where Microsoft Employees from around the world share their concepts and ideas and help each other. The informal nature of your day to day relationship with your manager adds to the charm of the place. If I keep on going into more details, I would have to write a 20 page report on why it is so cool to work here at MSRI.