The future of computing is in the hands of young faculty members, who bear the responsibility of both advancing the state of art in computing research and of fostering talent in the next generation. However, at the outset of their careers, they confront a number of common difficulties, including the struggle to attract financial support in competition with more senior and better-known professors as well as the effort to build reputation and recognition in the academic community.

Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) has initiated the Young Faculty Program, for identification, recognition and support of young faculty members by means of two pilot programs:
-The Young Professorship Award: recognizes young faculty members with exceptional talents and potential to make a profound impact in their research area.
-The Visiting Young Faculty Program: offers a 6-12 month visiting researcher position, working with lead researchers as partners.

MSRA Visiting Young Faculty Program 

Young professorship award recognizes young faculty members who have exceptional talent and potential to advance the state of art in computing research flied and who demonstrate the likelihood leadership in his/her research area.  >> Learn More

MSRA Young Professor Program

Visiting Young Faculty program offers special opportunity for talented young faculty members to build research partnership with leading researchers. The visiting young faculty members will pay at least 6 months visit in MSRA lab, working closely with leading researchers, involving to research projects, as well as co-supervising interns in related research group.  >> Learn More

Growth in MSRA

Faculty: Zhijun Li
University: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Visiting Group: Platform and Device Center
Visiting Time: Jan. 2008-Jul. 2008

I spent half of year in MSRA as a visiting faculty. That was a really quiet time to devote myself to study and research as if back to golden times in the ivory tower. MSRA not only provides the cutting-edge equipment and technology in CS field to our visiting faculty, but also the open and relaxed research environment, let alone working together with so many creative researchers who also have numerous fresh ideas.
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Faculty: Guangzhong Sun
University: University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
Visiting Group: Web Search and Data Mining
Visiting Time: Oct.2007-Aug.2008

What impressed me a lot and the first direct intuition on MSRA is the staffs here “run happily”, when I visited MSRA for several months. Happiness, pleasure, satisfaction, all these spirits not only reflect in every smiling faces, but also spread to their daily work even life. I couldn’t imagine that how staffs can work with such a happy state under the high-speed working environment before entering MSRA. Whenever you talk with staffs here, you always meet sweet smile, and feel optimistic and open-minded attitude to life and work from their words and deeds.
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Faculty: Zhengwei Qi
University: Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Visiting Group: System
Visiting Time: Jan.2008-Jul.2008

It is the best choice to do research in MSRA, concluded from my half year’s visiting experience. MSRA attracts many top talents, where various fresh ideas usually collided with each other, inspiring new research topics. Communication and discussion with researchers here always benefit me a lot since they have rigorous attitude to research and always pursuit success persistently. When dealing with the scientific issues, they are by no means perfunctory and usually discuss with greater relish to midnight.
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