Senior Research Software Engineer (ICCS) (Fixed Term)

University of Cambridge - University Information Services

Placed On: 23rd February 2026
Closes: 20th March 2026
Job Ref: VC48891

In the face of the present climate crisis, there is pressing need for skilled software engineers to aid climate scientists in delivering a new generation of high-quality, high-performance, and high-assurance models. The Institute of Computing for Climate Science (ICCS) is a multi-disciplinary institute that has been established to develop and deploy machine learning and computational tools to advance the understanding of climate systems and inform decision-making for both climate change prediction and mitigation.

A core part of the Institute is our team of Research Software Engineers (RSEs) who reside in Research Computing Services. ICCS RSEs work closely with several international teams of climate scientists, including the Schmidt Sciences' Virtual Earth Systems Research Institute, to develop the next generation of climate modelling tools and work with other members of ICCS to identify and implement projects which can have a wider impact beyond the immediate climate science teams' needs.

We seek to appoint a Senior Research Software Engineer, to play a pivotal role in the RSE team. This position provides a unique opportunity to be involved in research projects directly connected to climate science, and broader research into supporting climate science through computer science, software engineering, and data science. The post also includes funding to support travel to conferences and for training activities to support career development.

Essential requirements for the role include:

• A degree in computer science or relevant experience in a data science-based discipline.
• Ability to work with highly complex, scalable code.
• Experience of project management and technical leadership.
• Extensive experience in software engineering, including a strong track record of employing SE best practises and use of development and productivity tools (e.g., Git/GitHub, JIRA).
• Proficient in one or more programming languages such as Fortran, C++, C, Python.
• Ability to engage productively, with people of different background, nationality and skill set.

We are keen to recruit a Senior Research Software Engineer with experience in machine learning for the development of data-driven models, including building model emulators, and familiarity with popular ML frameworks e.g., PyTorch, JAX etc. Experience of working in a scientific context is desirable but not essential. When considering the criteria please ensure to reflect on your experience in the broadest sense including transferable skills.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.

The University is supportive of hybrid working and this role allows the post holder to be office based or to work in a hybrid way. We welcome applications from individuals who wish to be considered for part-time working or other flexible working arrangements.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. We particularly welcome applications from women and /or candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our department.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click 'Apply' above.

Queries should be directed to recruitment@uis.cam.ac.uk in the first instance quoting reference VC48891.

Please submit your CV and a cover letter to apply for this position.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.