"Research Software Engineer"

Research Software Engineer

Job Profile Title: Application Architect

Job Description Summary: The University of Pennsylvania's PennAI initiative and the Penn Advanced Research Computing Center (PARCC) core facility are seeking highly qualified and motivated Research Software Engineer (RSE) to join our team. In this position, you will play a key role in advancing scientific computing through the application of AI methodologies and sophisticated analytical tools, supporting the integration of these technologies within the academic research environment. Research Software Engineers (RSEs) will engage in interdisciplinary collaborations across computing, AI, data science, and related domains, contributing significantly to the university's research mission.

Job Responsibilities

• Contribute to cutting-edge research projects that require advanced software solutions and strong software engineering expertise
• Designing and post-training foundation models (including LLMs and VLMs) to support a wide range of academic research projects.
• Developing innovative methodologies for analyzing massive datasets in both cloud-based and on-premises environments, including experience in building agentic AI tools that integrate planning, tool use, and multi-step decision-making into end-to-end machine learning workflows
• Designing and implementing software pipelines for real-time data processing, and developing complex database models for storing and disseminating scientific datasets.
• Collaborating with faculty and researchers to advance computational research initiatives, enabling access to specialized software, tools, and datasets that support AI-intensive methods.
• Creating new software solutions or optimizing existing systems to align with best practices for quality, reusability, robustness, portability, and documentation.
• Working closely with cross-functional teams-including researchers, data scientists, and software developers-to foster a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.
• Partnering with research groups to develop AI/ML solutions using established artificial intelligence libraries.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a quantitative discipline such as computer science, engineering, or bioinformatics, with a background in scientific computing and four or more years of professional experience in software development or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience in designing foundation models and conducting post-training workflows, including work with LLMs and VLMs.
• Proficiency in Python and its ecosystem of AI/ML frameworks and tools.
• Strong familiarity with HPC and AI computing environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's or PhD in a quantitative discipline preferred.
• Five or more years of experience supporting AI and HPC code development.
• Willingness to teach, mentor, and engage in continuous learning of emerging techniques.
• Proven ability to identify and select appropriate tools and technologies to ensure the successful execution of complex tasks.

Application Requirement: A Cover Letter and Resume/CV are required to be considered for this position. Please upload your Cover Letter where it asks you to upload your Resume/CV; multiple documents are allowed.

Job Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School: Provost's Center

Pay Range: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00 Annual Rate