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Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Essential Job Duties:
As the Software Engineer for SPEED (Self-driving Platforms for Expedited Experimental co-Design), an NSF-funded national user facility for remotely accessible autonomous robotic experimentation in chemistry and materials science, you will develop the software infrastructure that connects users to SPEED's autonomous laboratories. You will build and maintain the backend services, APIs, experiment-submission tools, and user-facing software needed to orchestrate experiments across robotics, scientific instruments, data systems, and AI/optimization tools in cloud and local environments.
- Develop and maintain backend services, APIs, experiment-submission tools, and user-facing applications for SPEED.
- Integrate workflow orchestration, scheduling, job queues, platform monitoring, and experiment status tracking.
- Connect robotics, scientific instruments, data services, and AI/optimization tools through reliable software interfaces.
- Deploy and maintain cloud and local services, containers, authentication, logging, monitoring, and related infrastructure.
- Apply strong software engineering practices, including testing, version control, documentation, release management, and reliability engineering.
- Support platform commissioning, user onboarding, troubleshooting, and technical demonstrations for internal and external SPEED users.
Other Work/Responsibilities:
- Evaluate vendor APIs, SDKs, and integration approaches.
- Participate in architecture and cybersecurity reviews.
- Create technical documentation and developer/user guides.
- Train staff and researchers on SPEED software tools.
- Provide occasional after-hours support for critical systems.
Minimum Experience/Education:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software/computer engineering, or related field.
Required Qualifications:
- .Three or more years of relevant software-development experience.
- Proficiency in Python programming and software engineering fundamentals
- Development and integration of REST APIs, backend services, databases, and event- or workflow-driven systems.
- Use of Git and Linux-based development environments, including automated testing, debugging, and technical documentation.
- Agentic coding.
- Deployment and operation of software in cloud or on-premises environments, including containers, monitoring, and logging.
- Integration of software across heterogeneous hardware and software systems.
- Technical communication and collaborative problem-solving across software, hardware, engineering, and research teams.
- Experience building production APIs, backend services, or distributed applications.
- Experience with databases, Linux, Git, testing, and deployment workflows.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Development or support of scientific software or research-computing systems.
- Integration of laboratory automation, robotics, or instrument-control systems.
- Implementation of workflow orchestration, schedulers, message queues, or microservices.
- Use of Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, cloud infrastructure, or infrastructure-as-code.
- Integration of AI/ML services into software systems or autonomous experimentation workflows.
- Experience supporting external users or shared research facilities.
Required License or Certification:
N/A
AA/EEO Statement:
NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.
If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at (919) 515-2135 or workatncstate@ncsu.edu.
Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.
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