One of the goals of quantum computing research is to understand which problems quantum computers can solve faster than classical (non-quantum) computers and how big the speedup can be. Grover’s algorithm and Shor’s algorithm are two famous quantum algorithms that yield a polynomial speedup and…
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact communities around the world, researchers everywhere are fighting hard in the hopes of gradually understanding the mystery of the COVID-19 virus through the most advanced technologies available. Based on their expertise and research experience in the fields of…
Hardware is important, but it’s hard More than ever before, our society depends on an array of interactive devices. We need to provide input to computer systems throughout our day, whether at home, at work, or on the move. And the same computer systems often…
Unaddressed mental health conditions are growing worldwide, with millions across the world living with different types of these conditions. The World Health Organization projects that depression may be the biggest contributor to a key indicator of the impact of disease by 2030. Even with this high…
The Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship recognizes innovative, promising new faculty, whose exceptional talent for research and innovation identifies them as emerging leaders in their fields. This year, 185 individuals were nominated. Microsoft Research is proud to announce the 2020 recipients for these awards. The…
Due to recent events, millions of office workers have needed to rapidly adjust to working from home—learning new collaboration tools and best practices, re-thinking how to stay connected with colleagues outside the office, and adapting to new social norms around meetings. Working remotely presents both…
One of the core aspirations in artificial intelligence is to develop algorithms and techniques that endow computers with an ability to synthesize the observed data in our world. Every time researchers build a model to imitate this ability, this model is called a generative model.…
Virtual reality (VR) is an incredibly exciting way to experience computing, providing users with intuitive and immersive means of interacting with information that attempts to mirror the way we naturally experience the world around us. In the past few years, powerful VR systems have dropped…
Consider the last time you struggled to complete a task at work. Perhaps you got stuck trying to solve a tricky problem, unable to break out of that unproductive state, or maybe you were so engrossed in an activity unrelated to work that you ignored…
Image descriptions are vital to making digital content fully accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. However, as past research has shown, content authors often leave out these descriptions—also known as “alternative text” or “alt text”—for images on the web and on…
According to a report released by World Bank and the World Health Organization in 2017, there are nearly 4 billion people worldwide, that’s half of the world population, who lack access to essential healthcare. Although delivering high-quality patient-centered care is at the heart of good…
Virtual reality technology has become popular in recent years thanks to the availability of more affordable systems. Today, we can put on a head-mounted display and find ourselves in a completely different world, a virtual one in which the more we explore, the more new…
