O'Connor Lab Software Developer

Job Summary

The O'Connor Lab in University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Pathology is seeking an experienced software developer to design, build, and maintain a world-class web platform supporting the Lungfish environmental monitoring project. Lungfish integrates environmental monitoring data, analytical pipelines, and scientific reporting systems to support research, environmental surveillance, and public health decision making.

In this role you will design, implement, and maintain the primary public web platform for the Lungfish environmental monitoring project and have responsibility and agency to manage end-to-end deployment of the platform. This platform will allow researchers, public health professionals, and other stakeholders to explore environmental monitoring data through interactive data visualizations, analytical reports, and training resources. The successful candidate will design and implement the architecture of this platform from the ground up using modern web technologies and professional design assets that establish a cohesive visual identity and user experience.

The developer will work closely with scientists, data engineers, and research computing staff to build interfaces that integrate data from the Lungfish data warehouse and related research data systems including LabKey. These interfaces must support exploration of large and complex environmental monitoring datasets by audiences with varying technical backgrounds.

This position requires demonstrated success building complex, production web systems in professional settings. The successful candidate will have strong experience implementing interactive data visualizations, integrating large data systems through APIs, and participating in collaborative software development workflows using tools such as GitHub.

The role also involves applying modern development approaches including AI-assisted and agentic large language model tools to accelerate software development, debugging, and exploration of complex datasets.

* This position requires work to be completed onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Designs and implements test plans, and prepares systems test data
• Trains and provides technical guidance to lower level staff
• Leads sub-functional team for application development or enhancement
• Conducts analysis for the evaluation and selection of vendor software solutions and packages
• Conducts systems analysis, reviews and interprets system requirements, and develops detailed system design specifications for system integration and upgrades
• Reviews application modules for quality assurance and checks compliance with application architecture standards
• Develops, prepares, or modifies technical specifications for complex projects, system integrations, and upgrades
• Reviews application design specifications, codes new applications, and makes enhancements to existing applications
• Prepares program documentation and training requirements
• Participate in other lab-related and collaborator activities as needed
• Contributes to the development of data structure and systems performance strategies
• Develop comprehensive understanding of the research data and biological science domains that underpins application and website development
• Design, develop, and maintain public and restricted audience websites that often display data