Research Software Engineer

British Antarctic Survey

BAS Reference 26/22

Contract type: 1 Year Fixed Term Appointment

Location: BAS Cambridge

Salary: £46,444 (per annum)

Closing date: 12th February 2026

Interview date: 25th February 2026

A Research Software Engineer (RSE) is required to join the Digital Innovation Team (DIT), a team producing best-practice, innovative technological solutions for operational, scientific and technical departments groups within the organisation.

The team is tasked with helping the organisation develop its digital capability, helping deliver BAS and NERC long term goals. These include reaching net zero; building environmental digital twins; developing world-class digital research infrastructure; advocating for research and software sustainability; and delivering impact through the creation of enterprise-level solutions.

The successful applicant will work with the support of more senior DIT staff (Senior RSEs, Principal Software Engineer) to develop solutions in collaboration with the BAS IT department, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab, Mapping and Geographic Information Centre (MAGIC), Polar Data Centre (PDC), engineering departments and researchers. The RSE will also be expected to support developers and solutions in these groups, communicating the importance of software engineering. In addition, there will be opportunity to collaborate with BAS partner institutions including The Alan Turing Institute, Universities, Centre for Polar Observation and Monitoring, and the Centre for Doctoral Training in Earth Observation and AI for Environmental Risk.

The role requires an individual who can deliver complex technical projects. The DIT offers software engineering capability for other departments that support BAS operations, so individuals must be collaborative and capable of both teamwork and self-directed progression of projects.

• Work with researchers to improve the performance and reproducibility of their research code.
• Promoting reproducible research and open source tooling. Be an advocate for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) principles for all digital assets.
• Developing tools for other digital groups, to support all parts of BAS science and operations.
• Deliver high-quality, efficient and maintainable software by applying structured development approaches. Provide value add to these development process by incorporating (not exclusively):
  • Writing clear and comprehensive documentation
  • Developing robust testing suites
  • Following common conventions that improve software quality (code styling, semantic versioning)
  • Promoting collaboration with version control, code review, and writing of issues and reproducible examples
  • Considering sustainability and maintenance of software within expected deployment scenarios
• Collaborate with BAS HPC team and IT department to improve digital services that support the needs of researchers and operations.
• Work with other BAS departments (PDC, MAGIC, Web Applications, AI Lab, Science) on joint software engineering projects and to promote best practices for software development.
• Work with the rest of the DIT to run events, training and workshops in line with RSE community best practices, for the benefit of BAS students and staff.
• Engage with the wider community, such as the RSE community (RSE society, Software Sustainability Institute and others) UKRI/NERC and others (e.g. Alan Turing Institute) to promote the value of best practice software in BAS, share knowledge, introduce integration possibilities, and stay appraised of technical developments from industry, academia and research.
• Understand and have awareness of the environmental impact of research software.
• Support proposal writing efforts for BAS-led projects.
• Undertake other duties as appropriate as requested by the BAS Director.
• Whilst the possibility of working in the Antarctic or Arctic and at sea is not guaranteed, the opportunity may arise for candidates who are capable of going south.

The job is based in Cambridge although remote working options are available. For candidates that are physically capable and medically fit to work in Antarctic conditions, opportunities may arise for travel to the Antarctic or Arctic or working at sea on the BAS research ship, though that is not a major part of this role.

Essential to the role is experience with software engineering in Linux and HPC environments. Essential also is demonstrable experience in developing with at least one of: machine learning libraries, workflow management systems, cloud and/or distributed infrastructures, numerical modelling, and operational data management. A key requirement is the ability to interpret and share knowledge by understanding researcher requirements and guiding others.

Highly desirable is experience or a willingness to learn and communicate good practice for reproducible research, sustainable software practices and working with large datasets. Also desirable is experience of community-led software development, including but not limited to the use of tools such as GitHub/GitLab. The ability to manage projects is also desirable, but no formal qualifications are required.

Experience/knowledge of the following would be an advantage: Linux System Administration; multiple programming languages such as Python, R, C/C++, Fortan, Julia, Matlab; cloud infrastructure; DevOps technologies; UK HPC environments or HPC computing in the cloud; web front-end or back-end development; and small board computer and micro-controller-based systems.

There are no formal educational requirements for this role, but candidates should be able to demonstrate and discuss their technical abilities in an interview. Willingness, adaptability and enthusiasm in taking on new tasks are key qualities we'll be looking for.

• Experience with software engineering in Linux and HPC environment
• Demonstrable experience in developing with at least one of the following:
  • Machine Learning libraries
  • Workflow management systems
  • Middleware and distributed infrastructure
  • Numerical modelling
  • Operational data management
• Ability to interpret requirements and propose solutions
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Fluent in written and spoken English language
• Able to work as part of a team. Must also be able to work independently

• Able to work as part of a team. Must also be able to work independently
• Experience of training and guiding others in software engineering
• Understanding best practice for reproducible research, sustainable software practices and working with large datasets
• Experience of community -led software development
• Experience in project management and governance
• Demonstrable experience in at least one of:
  • Linux system administration
  • Scientific programming languages
  • Cloud infrastructure development / DevOps
  • UK HPC environments and/or HPC computing
  • Web front-end or back-end development
• Ability to work collaboratively with others in external institutes
• Experience with stakeholder engagement or funding application processes
• Ability to show initiative and to tackle problems independently
• Able to understand and explain complex problems