AI Research Associate — Fresher / Trainee (Microsoft, Pune 2026)

About the role

Entry-level AI Research Associate opportunities for freshers in Pune (Microsoft and peers) — eligibility, in-demand skills (Python, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, research methods), prep and how to apply.

<p><strong>Pune, 2026</strong> — Microsoft is a global product company and India GCC building Azure AI and Copilot. This alert covers fresher / entry-level <strong>AI Research Associate</strong> opportunities in Pune, Maharashtra for 2024–2026 graduates. In this role you would support applied-AI research — experiments, evaluations and prototyping new methods. Always confirm the current opening and apply on the official careers page below.</p>

<h2>About the role</h2> <p>As an entry-level AI Research Associate at a company like Microsoft, you would support applied-AI research — experiments, evaluations and prototyping new methods, working alongside senior engineers and data scientists. AI, Generative AI and Agentic AI are among the fastest-growing hiring tracks in India in 2026, and Pune is an active market across GCCs, product companies and services firms.</p>

<h2>Eligibility</h2> <ul> <li>B.Tech / B.E / MCA / M.Sc (CSE, IT, ECE, Data Science or related) — 2024, 2025 or 2026 batch.</li> <li>Solid Python and fundamentals of machine learning / AI.</li> <li>A portfolio project is the single biggest differentiator for freshers.</li> </ul>

<h2>Skills that get shortlisted</h2> <p>Python, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, research methods, PyTorch, literature review.</p>

<h2>How to prepare &amp; apply</h2> <p>Reproduce a paper’s result and write up what you learned. Our <a href="/courses/ai-genai-agentic-ai-training-hyderabad/">AI, GenAI &amp; Agentic AI training in Hyderabad</a> is built around exactly these portfolio projects, the <a href="/programs/fde-forward-deployed-engineer-course/">FDE PRO Forward Deployed Engineer course</a> goes deeper on production AI, and the <>AI/ML Engineer career roadmap</a> covers the full path. Apply on the official careers page: <a href="https://careers.microsoft.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Microsoft Careers</a>. See more roles on the <a href="/jobs/">Cloudsoft jobs board</a>.</p>

<p><em>This is an informational hiring alert, not a confirmed single-company job posting. Eligibility, the live opening and compensation must be verified on the employer’s official careers page before applying.</em></p>