Cambridge Residency Programme: Optical Communication Systems Researcher
Location
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Job Type
Full-time
Category
other-general
Posted
July 25, 2026
**Overview**
Join Microsoft Research Cambridge to invent optical interconnects that deliver power-efficient and reliable optical I/O links.
Department/Organization/Location: Microsoft Research Cambridge (UK), working with researchers and partner engineering teams on next-generation optical I/O for AI infrastructure.
Current mainstream interconnect technologies face a fundamental trade-off: copper links are power-efficient and reliable but limited in reach, while optical links extend reach but often increase power and reduce reliability. Our program explores a new approach based on a “wide-and-slow” architecture (many parallel, lower-rate channels) to break this trade-off and enable scalable, manufacturable optical I/O.
This is a unique opportunity for an exceptional researcher to work in a leading industrial research environment, collaborating closely with world-class researchers at Microsoft and engineering partners across the ecosystem.
+ ...
Join Microsoft Research Cambridge to invent optical interconnects that deliver power-efficient and reliable optical I/O links.
Department/Organization/Location: Microsoft Research Cambridge (UK), working with researchers and partner engineering teams on next-generation optical I/O for AI infrastructure.
Current mainstream interconnect technologies face a fundamental trade-off: copper links are power-efficient and reliable but limited in reach, while optical links extend reach but often increase power and reduce reliability. Our program explores a new approach based on a “wide-and-slow” architecture (many parallel, lower-rate channels) to break this trade-off and enable scalable, manufacturable optical I/O.
This is a unique opportunity for an exceptional researcher to work in a leading industrial research environment, collaborating closely with world-class researchers at Microsoft and engineering partners across the ecosystem.
+ ...