New York, United States

Overview Microsoft Research New York City (MSR NYC) is seeking applicants for a senior researcher position focusing on representation learning and efficient decision making with learned representations in the broader area of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), and in particular in the areas of interactive learning, this include deep learning with large foundation models over actions, and reinforcement learning.

Researchers in the ML/AI group cover a breadth of focus areas and research methodologies/approaches, spanning theoretical and empirical ML. We appreciate candidates with the potential to leverage/enhance the work of others in the group.

As a senior researcher, you will interact with our group's diverse array of researchers and practitioners, and contribute to ongoing research projects. We collaborate extensively with groups at other MSR locations and across Microsoft.

Microsoft Research (MSR) offers an exhilarating and supportive environment for cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research, both theoretical and empirical, with access to an extraordinary diversity of data sources, an open publications policy, and close links to top academic institutions around the world.

Applicants should have an established research track record, evidenced by conference or journal publications (or equivalent pieces of writing) and broader contributions to the research community. Applicants must have fulfilled their PhD degree requirements, including submission of their dissertation, prior to joining MSR NYC.

We are committed to building an inclusive, diverse, and pluralistic research environment and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We work collectively to make Microsoft Research a welcoming and productive space for all researchers.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more, and we are dedicated to this mission across every aspect of our company. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. Join us and help shape the future of the world.

Responsibilities As a senior researcher, you define your own research agenda in collaboration with other researchers, driving forward an effective program of basic, fundamental, and applied research. We highly value collaboration and building new ideas with members of the group and others. You may also have the direct opportunity to realize your ideas in products and services used worldwide.

Location Seattle, WA

Description Amazon's Compliance Shared Services (CoSS) is looking for a smart, energetic, and creative Sr Applied Scientist to extend and invent state-of-the-art research in multi-modal architectures, large language models across federated and continuous learning paradigms spread across multiple systems to join the Applied Research Science team in Seattle. At Amazon, we are working to be the most customer-centric company on earth. Millions of customers trust us to ensure a safe shopping experience. This is an exciting and challenging position to deliver scientific innovations into production systems at Amazon-scale that increase automation accuracy and coverage, and extend and invent new research as a key author to deliver re-usable foundational capabilities for automation.

You will analyze and process large amounts of image, text and tabular data from product detail pages, combine them with additional external and internal sources of multi-modal data, evaluate state-of-the-art algorithms and frameworks, and develop new algorithms in federated and continuous learning modes that can be integrated and launched across multiple systems. You will partner with engineers and product managers across multiple Amazon teams to design new ML solutions implemented across worldwide Amazon stores for the entire Amazon product catalog.

Location Multiple Locations

Description

Qualcomm's Multimedia R&D and Standards Group is seeking candidates for Video Compression Research Engineer positions. You will be part of world-renowned team of video compression experts. The team develops algorithms, hardware architectures, and systems for state-of-the-art applications of classical and machine learning methods in video compression, video processing, point cloud coding and processing, AR/VR and computer vision use cases. The successful candidate for this position will be a highly self-directed individual with strong creative and analytic skills and a passion for video compression technology. You will work on, but not be limited to, developing new applications of classical and machine learning methods in video compression improving state-of-the-art video codecs.

We are considering candidates with various levels of experience. We are flexible on location and open to hiring anywhere, preferred locations are USA, Germany and Taiwan.

Responsibilities: Contribute to the conception, development, implementation, and optimization of new algorithms extending existing techniques and systems allowing improved video compression. Initiate ideas, design and implement algorithms for superior hardware encoder performance, including perceptually based bit allocation. Develop new algorithms for deep learning-based video compression solutions. Represent Qualcomm in the related standardization forums: JVET, MPEG Video, and ITU-T/VCEG. Document and present new algorithms and implementations in various forms, including standards contributions, patent applications, conference and journal publications, presentations, etc. Ideal candidate would have the skills/experience below: Expert knowledge of the theory, algorithms, and techniques used in video and image coding. Knowledge and experience of video codecs and their test models, such as ECM, VVC, HEVC and AV1. Experience with deep learning structures CNN, RNN, autoencoder etc. and frameworks like TensorFlow/PyTorch. Track record of successful research accomplishments demonstrated through published papers, and/or patent applications in the fields of video coding or video processing. Solid programming and debugging skills in C/C++. Strong written and verbal English communication skills, great work ethic, and ability to work in a team environment to accomplish common goals. PhD or Masters degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics or similar field, or equivalent practical experience.

Qualifications: PhD or Masters degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or similar fields. 1+ years of experience with programming language such as C, C++, MATLAB, etc.

Excited to see you at CVPR! We’ll be at booth 1404. Come see us to talk more about roles.

Our team consists of people with diverse software and academic experiences. We work together towards one common goal: integrating the software, you'll help us build into hundreds of millions of vehicles.

As a Research Engineer, you will work collaboratively to improve our models and iterate on novel research directions, sometimes in just days. We're looking for talented engineers who would enjoy applying their skills to deeply complex and novel AI problems. Specifically, you will:

• Apply and extend the Helm proprietary algorithmic toolkit for unsupervised learning and perception problems at scale
• Carefully execute the development and maintenance of tools used for deep learning experiments designed to provide new functionality for customers or address relevant corner cases in the system as a whole
• Work closely with software and autonomous vehicle engineers to deploy algorithms on internal and customer vehicle platforms

Vancouver

Who we are Established in 2017, Wayve is a leader in autonomous vehicle technology, driven by breakthroughs in Embodied AI. Our intelligent, mapless, and hardware-agnostic technologies empower vehicles to navigate complex environments effortlessly. Supported by prominent investors, Wayve is advancing the transition from assisted to fully automated driving, making transportation safer, more efficient, and universally accessible. Join our world-class, multinational team of engineers and researchers as we push the boundaries of frontier AI and autonomous driving, creating impactful technologies and products on a global scale

We are seeking an experienced researcher to be a founding member of our Vancouver team! We are prioritising someone with experience leading projects in AI applied to autonomous driving or similar robotics or decision-making domains, inclusive, but not limited to the following specific areas: Foundation models for robotics or embodied AI Model-free and model-based reinforcement learning Offline reinforcement learning Large language models Planning with learned models, model predictive control and tree search Imitation learning, inverse reinforcement learning and causal inference Learned agent models: behavioural, oral and physical models of cars, people, and other dynamic agents

Challenges you will own You'll be working on some of the world's hardest problems, and able to attack them in new ways. You'll be a technical leader within our diverse, cross-disciplinary team, helping teach our robots how to drive safely and comfortably in complex real-world environments. This encompasses many aspects of research across perception, prediction, planning, and control, including:

Actively contributing to the Science’s technical leadership community, inclusive of proposing new projects, organising their work, and delivering substantial impact across Wayve. Leveraging our large, rich, and diverse sources of real-world driving data Architecting our models to best employ the latest advances in foundation models, transformers, world models, etc, evaluating and incorporating state-of-the-art techniques into our workflows Investigating learning algorithms to use (e.g. reinforcement learning, behavioural cloning) Leveraging simulation for controlled experimental insight, training data augmentation, and re-simulation Scaling models efficiently across data, model size, and compute, while maintaining efficient deployment on the car Collaborating with cross-functional, international teams to integrate research findings into scalable, production-level solutions Potentially contributing to academic publications for top-tier conferences like NeurIPS, CVPR, ICRA, ICLR, CoRL etc. working in a world-class team, contributing to the scientific community and establishing Wayve as a leader in the field

What you will bring to Wayve Proven track record of research in one or more of the topics above demonstrated through deployed applications or publications. Experience leading a research agenda aligned with larger organisation or company goals Strong programming skills in Python, with experience in deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch, numpy, pandas, etc. Experience bringing a machine learning research concept through the full ML development cycle Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently as well as in a team environment. Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, innovative, interdisciplinary team environment. Experience bringing an ML research concept through to production and at scale PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field

What we offer you The chance to be part of a truly mission driven organisation and an opportunity to shape the future of autonomous driving. Unlike our competitors, Wayve is still relatively small and nimble, giving you the chance to make a huge impact

Location Multiple Locations

Description

Members of our team are part of a multi-disciplinary core research group within Qualcomm which spans software, hardware, and systems. Our members contribute technology deployed worldwide by partnering with our business teams across mobile, compute, automotive, cloud, and IOT. We also perform and publish state-of-the-art research on a wide range of topics in machine-learning, ranging from general theory to techniques that enable deployment on resource-constrained devices. Our research team has demonstrated first-in-the-world research and proof-of-concepts in areas such model efficiency, neural video codecs, video semantic segmentation, federated learning, and wireless RF sensing (https://www.qualcomm.com/ai-research), has won major research competitions such as the visual wake word challenge, and converted leading research into best-in-class user-friendly tools such as Qualcomm Innovation Center’s AI Model Efficiency Toolkit (https://github.com/quic/aimet). We recently demonstrated the feasibility of running a foundation model (Stable Diffusion) with >1 billion parameters on an Android phone under one second after performing our full-stack AI optimizations on the model.

Role responsibility can include both, applied and fundamental research in the field of machine learning with development focus in one or many of the following areas:

• Conducts fundamental machine learning research to create new models or new training methods in various technology areas, e.g. large language models, deep generative models (VAE, Normalizing-Flow, ARM, etc), Bayesian deep learning, equivariant CNNs, adversarial learning, diffusion models, active learning, Bayesian optimizations, unsupervised learning, and ML combinatorial optimization using tools like graph neural networks, learned message-passing heuristics, and reinforcement learning.

• Drives systems innovations for model efficiency advancement on device as well as in the cloud. This includes auto-ML methods (model-based, sampling based, back-propagation based) for model compression, quantization, architecture search, and kernel/graph compiler/scheduling with or without systems-hardware co-design.

• Performs advanced platform research to enable new machine learning compute paradigms, e.g., compute in memory, on-device learning/training, edge-cloud distributed/federated learning, causal and language-based reasoning.

• Creates new machine learning models for advanced use cases that achieve state-of-the-art performance and beyond. The use cases can broadly include computer vision, audio, speech, NLP, image, video, power management, wireless, graphics, and chip design

• Design, develop & test software for machine learning frameworks that optimize models to run efficiently on edge devices. Candidate is expected to have strong interest and deep passion on making leading-edge deep learning algorithms work on mobile/embedded platforms for the benefit of end users.

• Research, design, develop, enhance, and implement different components of machine learning compiler for HW Accelerators.

• Design, implement and train DL/RL algorithms in high-level languages/frameworks (PyTorch and TensorFlow).

※Location※ South Korea Seoul / Pangyo

※Description※ 1) Deep learning compression and optimization - Development of algorithms for compression and optimization of deep learning networks - Perform deep learning network embedding (requires understanding of HW platform)

2) AD vision recognition SW - Development of deep learning recognition technology based on sensors such as cameras - Development of pre- and post-processing algorithms and function output - Development of optimization of image recognition algorithm

3) AD decision/control SW - Development of information-based map generation technology recognized by many vehicles - Development of learning-based nearby object behavior prediction model - Development of driving mode determination and collision prevention function of Lv 3 autonomous driving system

Geomagical Labs is a 3D R&D lab, in partnership with IKEA. We create magical mixed-reality experiences for hundreds of millions of users, using computer vision, neural networks, graphics, and computational photography. Last year we launched IKEA Kreativ, and we’re excited for what’s next! We have an opening in our lab for a senior computer vision researcher, with 3D Reconstruction and Deep Learning expertise, to develop and improve the underlying algorithms powering our consumer products. We are looking for highly-motivated, creative, applied researchers with entrepreneurial drive, that are excited about building novel technologies and shipping them all the way to the hands of millions of customers!

Requirements: Ph.D. and 2+ years of experience, or Master's and 6+ years of experience, focused on 3D Computer Vision and Deep Learning. Experience in classical methods for 3D Reconstruction: SfM/SLAM, Multi-view Stereo, RGB-D Fusion. Experience in using Deep Learning for 3D Reconstruction and/or Scene Understanding, having worked in any of: Depth Estimation, Room Layout Estimation, NeRFs, Inverse Rendering, 3D Scene Understanding. Familiarity with Computer Graphics and Computational Photography. Expertise in ML frameworks and libraries, e.g. PyTorch. Highly productive in Python. Ability to architect and implement complex systems at the micro and macro level. Entrepreneurial: Adventurous, self-driven, comfortable under uncertainty, with a desire to make systems work end-to-end. Innovative; with a track record of patents and/or first-authored publications at leading workshops or conferences such as CVPR, ECCV/ICCV, SIGGRAPH, ISMAR, NeurIPS, ICLR etc. Experience in developing technologies that got integrated into products, as well as post-launch performance tracking and shipping improvements. [Bonus] Comfortable with C++.

Benefits: Join a mission-driven R&D lab, strategically backed by an influential global brand. Work in a dynamic team of computer vision, AI, computational photography, AR, graphics, and design professionals, and successful serial entrepreneurs. Opportunity to publish novel and relevant research. Fully remote work available to people living in the USA or Canada. Headquartered in downtown Palo Alto, California --- an easy walk from restaurants, coffee shops and Caltrain commuter rail. The USA base salary for this full-time position ranges from $180,000 to $250,000 determined by location, role, skill, and experience level. Geomagical Labs offers a comprehensive set of benefits, and for qualifying roles, substantial incentive grants, vesting annually.

Location San Diego

Description

Artificial Intelligence is changing the world for the benefit of human beings and societies. QUALCOMM, as the world's leading mobile computing platform provider, is committed to enable the wide deployment of intelligent solutions on all possible devices – like smart phones, autonomous vehicles, robotics and IOT devices. Qualcomm is creating building blocks for the intelligent edge.

We are part of Qualcomm AI Research, and we focus on advancing Edge AI machine learning technology – including model fine tuning, hardware acceleration, model quantization, model compression, network architecture search (NAS), edge inference and related fields. Come join us on this exciting journey. In this particular role, you will work in a dynamic research environment, be part of a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and software engineers who work with cutting edge AI frameworks and tools. You will architect, design, develop, test, and deploy on- and off-device benchmarking workflows for model zoos.

Minimum Qualifications: • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 4+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience. OR Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 3+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience. OR PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 2+ years of Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related work experience.The successful applicant should have a strong theoretical background and proven hands-on experience with AI as modern software-, web-, and cloud-engineering.

Must have experience and skills: Strong theoretical background in AI and general ML techniques Proven hands-on experience with model training, inference, and evaluation. Proven hands-on experience with PyTorch, ONNX, TensorFlow, CUDA, and others. Experience developing data pipelines for ML/AI training and inferencing in the cloud. Prior experience in deploying containerized (web-) applications to IAAS environments such as AWS (preferred), Azure or GCP, backed by Dev-Ops and CI/CD technologies. Strong Linux command line skills. Strong experience with Docker and Git. Strong general analytical and debugging skills. Prior experience working in agile environments. Prior experience in collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams across time zones. Strong team player, communicator, presenter, mentor, and teacher. Preferred extra experience and skills: Prior experience with model quantization, profiling and running models on edge devices. Prior experience in developing full stack web applications using frameworks such as Ruby-on-Rails (preferred), Django, Phoenix/Elixir, Spring, Node.js or others. Knowledge of relational database design and optimization, hands on experience with running Postgres (preferred), MySQL or other relational databases in production Preferred qualifications: Bachelor's, Master's and/or PhD degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or related field and 2-5 years of work experience in Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Hardware Engineering or related.

Redmond, Washington, United States

Overview Do you want to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Do you have a passion for solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technologies?

The Human-AI eXperiences (HAX) team at Microsoft Research AI Frontiers is looking for exceptional candidates to advance the state-of-the-art in human-AI collaboration with a focus on leveraging the capabilities of people and foundation model-based agents and systems to solve real problems.

As a Principal Researcher on our team, you will:

Work on challenging and impactful projects in areas such as human-AI collaboration and teaming, foundation model-based systems, multi-agent systems, next generation AI experiences and responsible AI. Apply your skills and knowledge to build practical solutions to solve real problems and impact the world. Collaborate with other researchers and engineers across the company to amplify your impact and grow your career in a supportive and stimulating environment. We are looking for candidates who have:

A drive for real world impact, demonstrated by a passion to build and release prototypes or OSS frameworks.
Demonstrated track record of influential projects and publications in relevant fields and top-tier conferences and journals (such as NeurIPS, ICML, AAAI, CHI, UIST). Demonstrated interdisciplinary experience in applied machine learning, natural language processing, and human computer interaction including experience doing offline and online evaluations, and conducting user studies and user-centered research. Exceptional coding experience and hands-on experience working with large foundation models and related frameworks and toolkits. Familiarity with LLMs such as the OpenAI Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPT) models, LLAMA etc., model finetuning techniques (LORA, QLORA), prompting techniques (Chain of Thought, ReACT etc.) and model evaluation is beneficial.
A passion for innovation and creativity, evidenced by the ability to generate novel ideas, approaches, and solutions. A team player mindset, characterized by effective communication, collaboration, and feedback skills.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities Perform cutting-edge research to solve real-world problems. Collaborate closely with other researchers, engineers, and product group partners on high-impact projects that deliver real-world impact to people and society. Embody our culture and values.

Job Description Summary As a Research Engineer involved in the design of electrical machines, you will work in a collaborative team environment. You will be contributing to the development of advanced machine system concepts as well as their implementation for application to aircraft engine systems, power generation, and electric and hybrid vehicle applications. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will contribute to the planning, development, and transition of technologies from concept to products and/or services for GE Aerospace internal and external clients.

GE Aerospace Research will continue to play a vital role in supporting the industry through a historic recovery while shaping the future of flight. We invent the future of flight, lift people up and bring them home safely. Our commitment to lead the industry, to keep safe the flying public and the armed forces, and to lift up one another and our communities, remains our north star. Our purpose is what ties us to one another and gives meaning to our work.

Roles and Responsibilities

Work with customers to identify key system requirements.

Determine electrical machine (generators, motors, power delivery, and accessories') requirements by studying system and customer requirements.

Use system simulation tools, such as MATLAB, Simulink, and PLECS, to validate and refine control algorithms for a wide array of electric machines to ensure the system will perform in a manner consistent with the requirements.

Integrate the output of finite element analysis and other machine design software to determine and implement machine parameters within the system model.

Work closely with the electrical machine design team to make sure the physical machine meets requirements.

Develop and implement test procedures for electrical machine systems and document performance characteristics.

Deliver effective presentations, reports, and publications to Global Research, GE Businesses, government agencies, professional societies, and peer-reviewed journals.

Required Qualifications

PHD in Electrical Engineering or related field, with primary focus in controls applied to electric machines.

In-depth knowledge of electrical machines including electromagnetic, thermal as well as mechanical technology aspects.

Experience in a wide variety of machine topologies

Expertise in simulation tools such as finite elements, MATLAB (Simulink) and others such as PLECS.

US Citizenship required

Must be willing to work out of an office located in Niskayuna, NY

Must be 18 years or older

You must submit your application for employment on the careers page at www.gecareers.com to be considered.

Desired Characteristics

Experience in Automotive Hybrid Electrical or Aerospace Systems.

Strong interpersonal skills.

Strong analytical skills.

Ability to work across all functions/levels as part of a global team.

Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strong ties to the external technical community.

Entrepreneurial inclination

The base pay range for this position is 80,000 - 150,000 USD Annually. The specific pay offered may be influenced by a variety of factors, including the candidate’s experience, education, and skill set. This position is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus based on a percentage of your base salary. This posting is expected to close on July 12, 2024

Location Sunnyvale, CA Seattle, WA New York, NY Cambridge, MA

Description The Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) team is looking for a passionate, talented, and inventive Applied Scientist with a strong deep learning background, to help build industry-leading technology with multimodal systems.

As an Applied Scientist with the AGI team, you will work with talented peers to develop novel algorithms and modeling techniques to advance the state of the art with multimodal systems. Your work will directly impact our customers in the form of products and services that make use of vision and language technology. You will leverage Amazon’s heterogeneous data sources and large-scale computing resources to accelerate development with multimodal Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) in Computer Vision.

Redmond, Washington, United States

Overview We are seeking skilled and passionate Senior Research Scientist to join our Responsible & Open Ai Research (ROAR) team in Azure Cognitive Services at Redmond, WA.

As a Senior Research Scientist, you will play a key role in advancing Responsible AI approaches to ensure safe releases of the rapidly evolving multimodal, AI models such as GPT-4 Vision, DALL-E, Sora, and beyond, as well as to expand and enhance the Azure AI Content Safety Service.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities Conduct cutting-edge research to develop Responsible AI definitions, methodologies, algorithms, and models for both measurement and mitigation of multimodal AI risks. Stay abreast of the latest advancements in the field and contribute to the scientific community through publications at top venues. Enable the safe release of multimodal models from OpenAI in Azure OpenAI Service, expand and enhance the Azure AI Content Safety Service with new detection technologies. Develop innovative approaches to address AI safety challenges for diverse customer scenarios. Embody our Culture and Values

Tokyo, Tokyo-to, Japan

Overview As one of the world's leading industrial research laboratories, Microsoft Research (MSR) has more than 1,000 researchers and engineers working across the globe. In the past 30 years, Microsoft scientists have not only carried out world-class computer science research, but also transferred the advanced technologies into our products and services that have changed millions of people’s lives and ensured that Microsoft is at the forefront of digital transformation.

Part of Microsoft Research, Microsoft Research Asia (MSR Asia), established in 1998, is a leading research lab with major sites in Beijing, Shanghai and Vancouver. Over the years, technologies developed by MSR Asia have made a significant impact within Microsoft and also around the world, and new, innovative technologies are constantly being born from the lab. As one of the world-class research labs, MSRA offers an exhilarating, supportive, open and inclusive environment for top talents to create the future through their disruptive and cutting-edge research. (More information about Microsoft Research Lab - Asia - Microsoft Research).

Along with business growth, Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) is increasing its presence in Japan, and looking for a Principal Research Manager who specializes in AI with an emphasis on Embodied AI and Robotics, AI Model innovations (NLP, vision, multi-modality), Societal AI, Wireless sensing, and Wellbeing. This is a unique opportunity to lead an ambitious research agenda and work with various teams to explore new applications of those research areas.

Responsibilities •As a leading and accomplished expert in a broad research area (e.g., Embodied AI and Robotics, AI Model, Multimedia and Vision), has a comprehensive understanding of the relevant literature, research methods, and business and academic context. •Defines and articulates a clear long-term research vision that is in line with MSRA strategic focus and drive research agenda landing with planned schedule •As a local representative, fosters cooperative relationships with local governments, academic communities, industry partners and business groups within Microsoft to establish MSRA presence locally and support future growth •Creates synergy among MSRA research groups in multiple locations to enable collaboration and creativity • As a people manager, hires and retains top talents. Deliveries success through empowerment and accountability