{"id":303800,"date":"2012-05-02T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2012-05-02T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/?p=303800"},"modified":"2016-10-11T13:18:37","modified_gmt":"2016-10-11T20:18:37","slug":"microsoft-research-debuts-n-y-c-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/blog\/microsoft-research-debuts-n-y-c-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Research Debuts N.Y.C. Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By Rob Knies, Managing Editor, Microsoft Research<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the two decades since the formation of Microsoft Research, the organization has grown from its beginnings on Microsoft\u2019s corporate headquarters in Redmond, Wash., into a global powerhouse with 12 labs across four continents\u2014all devoted to advancing the state of the art in computing research and contributing cutting-edge advancements to Microsoft products.<\/p>\n<p>Beginning May 3, that lab count increases to a baker\u2019s dozen\u2014with the creation of Microsoft Research New York City.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe addition of Microsoft Research New York City reflects the company\u2019s long-term investment in basic research,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/people\/rashid\/\" target=\"_blank\">Rick Rashid<\/a>, Microsoft chief research officer and head of Microsoft Research. \u201cIn concert with Microsoft\u2019s product groups, Microsoft Research guides and influences the company\u2019s pursuit of applying transformative technologies and new technology trends to its products and services.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new lab, to be based in Manhattan, will be led by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/people\/jchayes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Jennifer Chayes<\/a>, who now will be managing director of both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/lab\/microsoft-research-new-england\/\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft Research New England<\/a>, which she founded in July 2008, and Microsoft Research New York City.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Microsoft Research New York City lab reflects an opportunity for Microsoft Research researchers and developers worldwide,\u201d Chayes said, \u201cto interact deeply with the vibrant academic and tech communities in the New York metropolitan area, as well as an opportunity to attract great new talent to Microsoft.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fifteen world-class researchers form the lab\u2019s initial team, including three founding members, each of whom is a leader in fields of vital importance to Microsoft Research and brings strong ties to the academic community of the New York metropolitan area:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>David Pennock, who conducts research at the intersection of computer science and economics, is past chair of the Association for Computing Machinery\u2019s Special Interest Group on Electronic Commerce, the academic organization dedicated to topics in that area. Pennock will serve as assistant managing director of the new lab.<\/li>\n<li>Duncan Watts, a former full professor of Sociology at Columbia University and a pioneer of modern network science, focuses on computational and experimental social science. He is the author of three books, including <em>Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age<\/em> and, most recently, <em>Everything Is Obvious*: Once You Know the Answer<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>John Langford, whose interests are in scalable interactive machine learning, learning reductions, and other irresistible research topics, is the program co-chair for this year\u2019s <a class=\"msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall\" href=\"http:\/\/icml.cc\/2012\/\" target=\"_blank\">International Conference on Machine Learning<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The three, each of whom previously worked for Yahoo! Research, represent Microsoft Research\u2019s ongoing ability to attract the best and brightest researchers, and their particular strengths underscore the close alignment between the New York City and New England labs.<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft Research New England has developed a reputation for being rich in interdisciplinary research, and it pursues work in social media, empirical economics, and machine learning, in addition to theoretical computer science, cryptography, and mathematics.<\/p>\n<p>The New York City lab will investigate complementary research areas: computational and experimental social science, algorithmic economics, and machine learning, along with information retrieval. The close collaboration of the two labs, and their interaction with the rest of Microsoft Research, is designed to extend state-of-the-art work in these key areas.<\/p>\n<p>The new researchers will engage in large-scale machine learning, prediction, and online-market design. They also will develop new techniques in the fields of both computational and online experimental social science.<\/p>\n<p>Their research will help to shape the technology of the future, and they all expressed an eagerness to embrace their new roles.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_303806\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-303806\" class=\"size-full wp-image-303806\" src=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/David-Pennock.png\" alt=\"David Pennock\" width=\"310\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/David-Pennock.png 310w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/David-Pennock-248x300.png 248w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-303806\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Pennock<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible opportunity,\u201d Pennock said. \u201cWe get to start a new branch of Microsoft Research, which is the best place in the world to do research. It\u2019s a chance to work with some great people in the New England lab and throughout Microsoft Research and Microsoft. It\u2019s an incredible time for Microsoft, and we are looking forward to doing great research and having great product impact within the company.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pennock added that the new lab will be able to plug into a thriving New York tech ecosystem.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn addition to growing our already strong ties to the academic research community,\u201d he said, \u201cwe\u2019d like to play our part in the New York City tech scene, including the startup, venture-capitalist, and hack\/make communities, plus the new Cornell-Technion campus, contributing what we can to Mayor Michael Bloomberg\u2019s vision of New York City as a tech hub.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Watts has a similar goal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy ambition for the New York City lab is that it will become a leading center, if not <em>the<\/em> leading center, for computational and experimental social science,\u201d he said, \u201cleveraging the intellectual capital of the New York City academic community, the tremendous data assets of Microsoft and Microsoft\u2019s partners, and the rapidly growing local tech scene.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe scope of what we can do here is incredible, and the support we have received already from the Microsoft Research community is both gratifying and impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Langford relishes the opportunities afforded by Microsoft Research\u2019s position in the research community.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_303809\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-303809\" class=\"size-full wp-image-303809\" src=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/John-Langford.png\" alt=\"John Langford\" width=\"310\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/John-Langford.png 310w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/John-Langford-248x300.png 248w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-303809\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John Langford<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cMachine learning is shifting from an academic discipline to an industrial tool,\u201d he observed. \u201cIn the process, many new research problems are being discovered, shifting the center of gravity of research to a place between industry and academia, exactly where Microsoft Research lies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sheer scale of Microsoft also implies that successful research can be used many times across the company. It\u2019s always fun to have deployed systems to brag about, and the more, the merrier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Pennock, Watts, and Langford, the group of founding members of the New York City lab includes Dan Goldstein and Siddharth Suri, experts in experimental and behavioral social science; Sharad Goel and Jake Hofman, experts in computational social science; and David Rothschild, an expert in economics and prediction markets.<\/p>\n<p>A key part of Microsoft Research\u2019s mission is to give Microsoft the agility to respond immediately when the world changes\u2014or to change the world itself. The new researchers at Microsoft Research New York City found that allure impossible to resist. Langford cited four reasons why:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cMicrosoft moved very fast in making decisions, and I sincerely appreciate the agility.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMicrosoft has simultaneously become a more open and competitive company, including, in my case, support for <a class=\"msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall\" href=\"http:\/\/hunch.net\/~vw\/\" target=\"_blank\">Vowpal Wabbit<\/a>.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMicrosoft Research has a strong tradition of support for basic research, which I greatly value.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cA combination of outstanding and unique opportunities for future collaborations yielding products and research.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For Watts, it was the whole package that tipped the scale.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_303812\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-303812\" class=\"size-full wp-image-303812\" src=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Duncan-Watts.png\" alt=\"Duncan Watts\" width=\"310\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Duncan-Watts.png 310w, https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Duncan-Watts-248x300.png 248w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-303812\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Duncan Watts<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cMicrosoft Research is a world-class research organization with a long history and a deeply rooted culture of appreciation for both basic and applied science,\u201d he said. \u201cThe opportunity to found a new Microsoft Research lab is one that comes along only rarely, and the chance to do it in such a great city as New York is, for me personally, even more special and exciting. It really feels like a once-in-a-career opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pennock actually has firsthand experience at Microsoft Research, having interned at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/lab\/microsoft-research-redmond\/\" target=\"_blank\">Redmond lab<\/a> in 1998 under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/people\/horvitz\/\" target=\"_blank\">Eric Horvitz<\/a>, now a Microsoft distinguished scientist and deputy managing director of Microsoft Research Redmond. Over the years, Pennock has maintained professional relationships with Microsoft Research colleagues such as Horvitz, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/people\/meek\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Meek<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/people\/moshe\/\" target=\"_blank\">Moshe Babaioff<\/a>, and Moshe Tennenholtz. But it was Chayes who, for him, proved convincing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe one thing that really sealed the deal for me was Jennifer,\u201d Pennock said, \u201cand the opportunity to work for her, not just by reputation but by her actions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe other thing is that Microsoft Research New England has a lot of the same ideals. It\u2019s an interdisciplinary group, and that\u2019s exactly the kind of work I do, at the intersection between computer science and economics. Duncan works at the intersection of computer science and sociology. We are, by nature, interdisciplinary, and that\u2019s exactly what we see at Microsoft Research New England. They have economists. They have computer scientists and sociologists. It\u2019s just a natural fit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pennock stressed that Microsoft Research New York City will have a wealth of leadership at its disposal as it begins to carve out its own particular niche.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDuncan and John are great leaders,\u201d he said, \u201cand Jennifer and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/people\/borgs\/\" target=\"_blank\">Christian Borgs<\/a> [deputy managing director of Microsoft Research New England] are, as well. We\u2019ll all be working together in a consensus style to run the new lab.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His initial plans include diving into research, beginning to attract a stream of world-class visitors from academia, and building relationships within Microsoft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing we\u2019re going to do right away is visit Redmond and get to know the product groups,\u201d Pennock said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be working a lot with the Online Services Division, so we want to meet those folks. We\u2019ll also be talking to people in the <a class=\"msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.technet.microsoft.com\/serverandtools\/\" target=\"_blank\">Server and Tools Business<\/a>. We want to make sure we are looped into the company and thinking about Microsoft products from <a class=\"msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bing.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Bing<\/a> to <a class=\"msr-external-link glyph-append glyph-append-open-in-new-tab glyph-append-xsmall\" href=\"http:\/\/www.xbox.com\/en-US\/\" target=\"_blank\">Xbox<\/a> to servers to \u2026 everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That sort of passion bodes well for the newest member of the Microsoft Research constellation. For more enthusiasm, read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/start-spreading-the-news-announcing-microsoft-research-new-york-city\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chayes\u2019 blog post about the creation of Microsoft Research New York City<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Rob Knies, Managing Editor, Microsoft Research In the two decades since the formation of Microsoft Research, the organization has grown from its beginnings on Microsoft\u2019s corporate headquarters in Redmond, Wash., into a global powerhouse with 12 labs across four continents\u2014all devoted to advancing the state of the art in computing research and contributing cutting-edge [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39507,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"msr-url-field":"","msr-podcast-episode":"","msrModifiedDate":"","msrModifiedDateEnabled":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_classifai_error":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[194479,194461],"tags":[213746,201035,213737,201247,201377,213743,186406,194309,186418,213740,213749,203337,213752],"research-area":[13548,13559],"msr-region":[],"msr-event-type":[],"msr-locale":[268875],"msr-post-option":[],"msr-impact-theme":[],"msr-promo-type":[],"msr-podcast-series":[],"class_list":["post-303800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economics","category-social-sciences","tag-algorithmic-economics","tag-computational-social-science","tag-computing-research","tag-david-pennock","tag-duncan-watts","tag-experimental-social-science","tag-information-retrieval","tag-john-langford","tag-machine-learning","tag-microsoft-products","tag-online-market-design","tag-prediction","tag-vowpal-wabbit","msr-research-area-economics","msr-research-area-social-sciences","msr-locale-en_us"],"msr_event_details":{"start":"","end":"","location":""},"podcast_url":"","podcast_episode":"","msr_research_lab":[199571,199563,199565],"msr_impact_theme":[],"related-publications":[],"related-downloads":[],"related-videos":[],"related-academic-programs":[],"related-groups":[],"related-projects":[],"related-events":[],"related-researchers":[],"msr_type":"Post","byline":"","formattedDate":"May 2, 2012","formattedExcerpt":"By Rob Knies, Managing Editor, Microsoft Research In the two decades since the formation of Microsoft Research, the organization has grown from its beginnings on Microsoft\u2019s corporate headquarters in Redmond, Wash., into a global powerhouse with 12 labs across four continents\u2014all devoted to advancing 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