# microsoft research (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover microsoft research. Page: Feed: --- ## [Broadening access to Skala creates a faster path to predictive DFT](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/broadening-access-to-skala-creates-a-faster-path-to-predictive-dft/) _2026-08-20 · Sebastian Ehlert, Stefano Battaglia, Thijs Vogels, Jan Hermann, Jens Wehner, Giulia Luise, Klaas Giesbertz, Chin-Wei Huang, Aaron Kaplan, Kate Milton, Stephanie Marisa Lanius, Derk Kooi, P. Bernát Szabó, Gregor Simm, Rianne van den Berg, Paola Gori Giorgi · Microsoft Research_ Skala 1.1, the updated deep-learning exchange-correlation functional from Microsoft Research, provides greater accuracy, expanded accessibility across the computational chemistry ecosystem, and a living benchmark to track computational performance. The post Broadening access to Skala creates a faster path to predictive DFT appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [MindTopo reveals VLMs’ spatial reasoning abilities](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/mindtopo-reveals-vlms-spatial-reasoning-abilities/) _2026-08-12 · Yunfei Ge, Anbang Liu, Qineng Wang, Johnalbert Garnica, Zihan Wang, Reuben Tan, Jianfeng Gao, Ruohan Zhang, Yining Hong, Jiajun Wu, Manling Li · Microsoft Research_ A path, a fence, a knot. MindTopo sets a new benchmark for testing how AI understands topological relationships and highlights new opportunities to strengthen spatial reasoning and planning. The post MindTopo reveals VLMs’ spatial reasoning abilities appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [Introducing CARE-X: Towards Clinically Useful Radiology VLMs with Auxiliary Supervision, Reward-Aligned Learning, and Tool-Augmented Measurement](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/introducing-care-x-towards-clinically-useful-radiology-vlms-with-auxiliary-supervision-reward-aligned-learning-and-tool-augmented-measurement/) _2026-08-11 · Mercy Ranjit, Nikhilesh E, Dr. Abhyuday Kumara Swamy, Tanuja Ganu · Microsoft Research_ Radiology AI is evolving beyond report generation. CARE-X explores a unified approach that combines flexible reasoning, calibrated predictions, and measurement-based tools for chest X-ray interpretation. The post Introducing CARE-X: Towards Clinically Useful Radiology VLMs with Auxiliary Supervision, Reward-Aligned Learning, and Tool-Augmented Measurement appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [Use AI to Help You Create the Fantasy Football League Winning Team Name](https://nothans.com/use-ai-to-help-you-create-the-fantasy-football-league-winning-team-name) _2026-08-08 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ Draft season is here again, and your team still needs a name that beats Team Smith. I first wrote on how to use ChatGPT for fantasy football team names back in 2023, then enhanced it with a custom GPT in 2024. Since then the AI tools have gotten better and the method has gotten simpler, so this is the updated version for the 2026 season. The templates below still work in any of the major AI… ## [Live Preview of HTML Files in Visual Studio Code](https://nothans.com/live-preview-of-html-files-in-visual-studio-code) _2026-08-05 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ This post started as a TIL : I was building a little arcade game called Shoot , opened the index.html and the Web Audio API refused to load a single sound because of CORS. (A shooter with no shooting sounds is mostly just pointing.) The fix was a local development server, and the tool I found was the Live Server extension for Visual Studio Code. That problem I had hasn t changed, but the best… ## [Orchard: An open framework for scalable agentic AI](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/orchard-an-open-framework-for-scalable-agentic-ai/) _2026-08-03 · Baolin Peng, Wenlin Yao, Qianhui Wu, Hao Cheng, Jianfeng Gao · Microsoft Research_ Orchard is an open-source framework for the research community to train and evaluate AI agents across task types. It reduces complexity while supporting strong performance from smaller models by enabling researchers to reuse the same infrastructure. The post Orchard: An open framework for scalable agentic AI appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [Dungeon Crawler Carl Pinball at Gen Con… with Matt Dinniman](https://nothans.com/dungeon-crawler-carl-pinball-at-gen-con-with-matt-dinniman) _2026-07-31 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ There s a new pinball machine. It is a Dungeon Crawler Carl-themed pinball machine from Multimorphic . This pinball machine was announced a few days ago and had a surprise reveal at Gen Con. I have been attending Gen Con for over 20 years and have watched it grow 10x in size and stretch into all things you could geek out on. 90k people come to Indianapolis, IN, and spend four days gaming, talking… ## [Echoverse: Deep, evolving environments for computer-use agents](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/echoverse-deep-evolving-environments-for-computer-use-agents/) _2026-07-30 · Akshay Nambi, Yash Pandya, Sahil Gupta, Sarthak Harne, Kavyansh Chourasia, Yash Lara, Ahmed Awadallah, Ece Kamar · Microsoft Research_ Computer-use AI agents struggle with multi-step workflows like email and customer support. Echoverse trains agents in realistic environments rather than simply providing more training tasks, helping them improve as the tasks, tests, and environments evolve. The post Echoverse: Deep, evolving environments for computer-use agents appeared first on Microsoft Research . [Listen](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hero-video.mp4) ## [EvoLib: Turning experience into evolving knowledge](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/evolib-turning-experience-into-evolving-knowledge/) _2026-07-30 · Weijia Xu, Alessandro Sordoni, Zelalem Gero, Michel Galley, Eric Yuan, Jianfeng Gao · Microsoft Research_ LLMs do not get smarter just by remembering more. EvoLib turns experience into evolving knowledge, taking reusable skills and insights that help models learn and adapt across tasks long after deployment. The post EvoLib: Turning experience into evolving knowledge appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [Pinball: A Quest for Mastery](https://nothans.com/pinball-a-quest-for-mastery) _2026-07-29 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ First, I need to say I love the pinball community. It is a community, and all kinds are there. Since I relocated to New England, Pinball has been my source of creativity and drive, a way to find friends, a place to have randos over to the house, a place to go to a warehouse filled with old pinball machines, and a way to be around people who love this game. On my journey, I met Tasker Smith. Right… ## [Ship software peacefully (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/8KCdtTvYYsrr) _2026-07-29 · **Sponsored**_ Connect your repo and deploy instantly — Railway handles config, scaling, and monitoring. ## [Atari Superman Pinball Wall Art Project](https://nothans.com/atari-superman-pinball-wall-art-project) _2026-07-25 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ My family was spending the day at the Electromagnetic Pinball Museum in Pawtucket, RI, and stumbled across an Atari Pinball Machine. Yes, Atari made pinball machines for a brief, unsuccessful spell. Atari launched the career of the most prolific pinball game designer, Steve Ritchie . Steve is still designing pinball machines 50 years later, with his most recent game, Sonic the Hedgehog from Jersey… ## [CABLE 82: Turn a Raspberry Pi and an Old CRT Into a 1982 Cable Bulletin Board Channel](https://nothans.com/cable-82-turn-a-raspberry-pi-and-an-old-crt-into-a-1982-cable-bulletin-board-channel) _2026-07-23 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ Before feeds, your town had a channel. You might know the one if you watched MTV when it first came on cable. A flat blue screen, chunky white text, the time and the temperature in the corner. The Lions Club pancake breakfast. A birthday wish for someone named STEVE. Little League signups at the rec center. Headlines crawling along the bottom while a Muzak version of a song you almost recognized… ## [Verifying Rust cryptography in SymCrypt, from standards to code](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/verifying-rust-cryptography-in-symcrypt-from-standards-to-code/) _2026-07-13 · Son Ho, Cédric Fournet, Antoine Delignat-Lavaud, Samuel Lee, Jason Fisher, Jessica Krynitsky · Microsoft Research_ Cryptographic code supports vital protections in modern computing systems. Learn how a new method helps verify code as developers write it while preserving speed and adaptability as it gets implemented and evolves. The post Verifying Rust cryptography in SymCrypt, from standards to code appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [Aurora 1.5: Extending open foundation models for weather and Earth-system applications](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/aurora-1-5-extending-open-foundation-models-for-weather-and-earth-system-applications/) _2026-07-09 · Kenji Takeda, Haiyu Dong, Jonathan Weyn, Amit Misra, Matt Corey, Kevin White, Shannon Monroe, Juan M. Lavista Ferres, Ashley Llorens, Bonnie Kruft · Microsoft Research_ Aurora 1.5 adds 22 more variables, hourly temporal resolution, and probabilistic ensemble forecasting to the Aurora foundation model, making it more useful for real-world weather, climate, and energy applications. The post Aurora 1.5: Extending open foundation models for weather and Earth-system applications appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [Flint: A visualization language for the AI era](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/flint-a-visualization-language-for-the-ai-era/) _2026-07-08 · Chenglong Wang, Alper Sarikaya, Scott Tsukamaki, Michel Galley, Jianfeng Gao · Microsoft Research_ Short chart specifications are easy to write, but often produce uninspiring results. Flint is an open-source visualization language that offers a middle path, letting AI agents create expressive charts from compact, human-editable specifications. The post Flint: A visualization language for the AI era appeared first on Microsoft Research . ## [Layout your Game Room without Moving 300-pound Machines Around](https://nothans.com/layout-your-game-room-without-moving-300-pound-machines-around) _2026-07-05 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ A pinball machine weighs about 300 pounds. Arcade cabinets heavy. I am always looking to maximize my bonus room space and dream. I built a quick-and-dirty web app to lay out your game room. Add games, rotate, resize, add clearance, add customized blocks. Iterate. What I made It s called Gameroom Designer . It lays out your game room to scale, right in the browser. You set your room s real… ## [SkillOpt: Agent skills as trainable parameters](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/skillopt-agent-skills-as-trainable-parameters/) _2026-06-30 · Yifan Yang, Xuemei Gao, Qi Dai, Bei Liu, Kai Qiu, Dongdong Chen, Chong Luo · Microsoft Research_ AI agents often fail because their instructions, or skills, are manually modified with no guarantee of improvement. Learn how SkillOpt turns skill editing into a training process, making agent behavior more reliable without changing model weights. The post SkillOpt: Agent skills as trainable parameters appeared first on Microsoft Research . [Listen](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/skillopt_teaser-1.mp4) ## [Abode 101: A Practical Project to Learn the Open Knowledge Format (OKF)](https://nothans.com/abode-101-a-practical-project-to-learn-the-open-knowledge-format-okf) _2026-06-28 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ Google OKF for Your House I was standing in the hardware store holding a dead coin cell, squinting at it, trying to remember if the Lutron dimmer in my hallway takes a CR2032 or one of the other fourteen round silver batteries that all look exactly the same. So I guessed. I bought two of the wrong one. Classic. Here is the thing about a house. You slowly learn a thousand tiny facts about it. The… ## [Status Update: Sharing some personal news](https://socialmediacollective.org/2026/06/23/status-update-sharing-some-personal-news/) _2026-06-23 · Mary L. Gray · Social Media Collective_ Hey SMC friends and family (and lookyloos!) I’m sharing some personal news—and an invitation. After many (like, many) years at Microsoft Research, working alongside amazing colleagues in the New England Lab, I’ll step away on July 1 to launch a new initiative. For the past five years, I’ve focused on a core gap exacerbating the … Continue reading Status Update: Sharing some personal news ## [Create the “Best Agent Skill” with SkillOpt from Microsoft Research](https://nothans.com/create-the-best-agent-skill-with-skillopt-from-microsoft-research) _2026-06-19 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ For two years the move was simple: pick a better model. Then the models got good, and stayed good, and the gaps between them got boring. So the interesting lever is the other thing you hand the agent now. The skill file. Microsoft Research just shipped a tool called SkillOpt that takes that idea literally. SkillOpt is a text-space optimizer that trains reusable natural-language skills for frozen… ## [Crypto Payments, No Custody (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/82ZBSJqwyinc) _2026-06-19 · **Sponsored**_ Send crypto to merchant wallets via API with real-time updates and automatic fees. ## [What I Learned from Garry Tan and gstack](https://nothans.com/what-i-learned-from-garry-tan-and-gstack) _2026-06-06 · Hans Scharler · About Things | A Hans Scharler Blog_ Garry Tan, the guy who runs Y Combinator, just open-sourced a toolkit called gstack . It runs on top of Claude Code and turns it into a virtual engineering team. Twenty-three specialized skills, eight power tools, each one playing a role you d normally have to hire for. A CEO that rethinks your product. An engineering manager that locks down the architecture. A designer that catches AI slop. A QA… ## [Introducing our 2026 Interns!](https://socialmediacollective.org/2026/03/06/introducing-our-2026-interns/) _2026-03-06 · Nancy Baym · Social Media Collective_ We are delighted to have two interns joining us this summer. Spencer Kaplan is a PhD Candidate in sociocultural anthropology at Yale University. He is currently writing an ethnography of AI researchers and engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area. Drawing from time spent in an AI agents startup and an AI safety lab, his research … Continue reading Introducing our 2026 Interns! ## [In Memory of Fobazi M. Ettarh](https://socialmediacollective.org/2026/02/06/in-memory-of-fobazi-m-ettarh/) _2026-02-06 · Mary L. Gray · Social Media Collective_ Much love to Elena, to Fobazi’s family, and to everyone who was moved by Fobazi as a scholar and a person. For SMCers who know and love Elena (our brilliant SMC postdoc and intern alum) and want to support Fobazi’s family, learn more here: Honoring the life of Fobazi Ettarh ## [Application link now LIVE for the 2026 MSRNE summer internship in sociotechnical systems](https://socialmediacollective.org/2025/12/17/apply-for-the-2026-msrne-summer-internship-in-sociotechnical-systems/) _2025-12-17 · Social Media Collective · Social Media Collective_ Microsoft Research New England is looking for advanced Ph.D. students who are bringing sociotechnical perspectives to analyze critical issues of our time, to apply for our summer internship. They will join a team of social scientists who use qualitative or quantitative, empirical or critical methods to study the social, political, and cultural dynamics that shape … Continue reading Application… ## [Apply for our sociotechnical systems postdoc position, for July 2026](https://socialmediacollective.org/2025/11/20/smc-postdoc-2026/) _2025-11-20 · Social Media Collective · Social Media Collective_ Microsoft Research New England is looking for a postdoctoral researcher interested in bringing sociotechnical perspectives to analyze critical issues of our time. They will join a team of social scientists who use empirical and critical methods to study the social, political, and cultural dynamics that shape technologies and their consequences. Our work draws on and … Continue reading Apply for… ## [Job listing! Principal Researcher, studying sociotechnical systems, at MSR New England](https://socialmediacollective.org/2025/07/28/job-listing-sociotechnical/) _2025-07-28 · Social Media Collective · Social Media Collective_ Huge news: we may have the chance to hire a new, full-time Principal Researcher for the SMC! We haven’t grown our permanent research team in more than a decade, even as the questions we study feel like they change about every hour and half. So this is exciting news for us, and may be exciting … Continue reading Job listing! Principal Researcher, studying sociotechnical systems, at MSR New England ## [Meet the new SMC interns, postdoc, and pre-doc!](https://socialmediacollective.org/2025/06/05/meet-the-new-smc-2025/) _2025-06-05 · Tarleton Gillespie · Social Media Collective_ It’s that time again. Summer brings us four new SMC interns, a new SMC postdoc, and a new pre-doc research assistant! In their work, you’ll see reflected our shift towards AI and data, but also many of the persistent concerns of the SMC: the implications for media, discursive imaginaries around new technologies, data and justice, … Continue reading Meet the new SMC interns, postdoc, and pre-doc! ## [Seeking a Sociotechnical Systems Research Assistant (aka “Pre-Doc”)](https://socialmediacollective.org/2025/01/22/seeking-a-sociotechnical-systems-research-assistant-aka-pre-doc/) _2025-01-22 · Mary L. Gray · Social Media Collective_ Apply here: https://webportalapp.com/sp/login/2025\_msr\_predoc\_sts (NOTE: Application Portal opens February 3, 2025) Deadline: March 3, 2025. (Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.) NOTE: Unfortunately, applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. to accept the position. Microsoft Research New England is hiring a predoctoral research assistant to work with Nancy Baym, Tarleton… ## [Ph.D. Internship Opportunity studying Organizational Copilot Adoption](https://socialmediacollective.org/2024/12/18/ph-d-internship-opportunity-studying-organizational-copilot-adoption/) _2024-12-18 · Nancy Baym · Social Media Collective_ Microsoft Research and the Viva product group are looking for an advanced PhD student for a 12-week paid internship bridging Viva’s user research team and Microsoft Research’s Cambridge, Massachusetts-based group of sociotechnically-oriented social scientists (that’s us!). The internship will be in-person, based in Cambridge, MA. This intern will work with a Microsoft Research mentor and the …… ## [CLI-first decentralized compute (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/DGIO82u5FvQr) _2024-12-18 · **Sponsored**_ Run and pay spare GPUs from the CLI — transcode, coinpay (DID+escrow), infernet (AI). ## [Apply now for the 2025 MSRNE summer internship in sociotechnical systems](https://socialmediacollective.org/2024/11/01/2025-smc-summer-internship/) _2024-11-01 · Social Media Collective · Social Media Collective_ Microsoft Research New England is looking for advanced Ph.D. students who are bringing sociotechnical perspectives to analyze critical issues of our time, to apply for our summer internship. They will join a team of social scientists who use qualitative or quantitative, empirical or critical methods to study the social, political, and cultural dynamics that shape … Continue reading Apply now for…