Research Software Engineer

Overview

On Site
$80,000 - $150,000
Full Time
No Travel Required
Able to Provide Sponsorship

Skills

GPU/CUDA
C/C++ programming
OpenCL
OpenACC
Python
MPI

Job Details

The NSF Science and Technology Center for Quantitative Cell Biology and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have an opening for a Research Software Engineer. The purpose of this position is to bolster the development of whole cell modeling and simulations of minimal bacterial and eukaryotic cells with the Lattice Microbes (LM) program within the Center for Quantitative Cell Biology. Visualization and analysis are carried out with its Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) software plugin and Jupyter notebooks.

Duties and responsibilities:

Programming duties:

  • Collaborate with users and other programmers at NVIDIA to design needed features for Lattice Microbes (LM)
  • Implement new simulations, analysis, and visualization methods and algorithms
  • Improve performance through tuning the GPU code
  • Document, test, and debug revisions of the software for release
  • Coordinate conversion of LM states of cells into coarse-grained atomistic representations for Martini/GROMACS simulations
  • Respond to questions and bug reports from users via email
  • Work with programmers at, and leverage computing resources from, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) on the University of Illinois campus to achieve Center programming objectives

Center outreach and educational duties:

  • Coordinate with Center leadership and attend meetings as needed to assist with the NSF directive to make Center-produced models and experimental data widely accessible and create mechanisms for the research community to access them
  • Assist in development of an educational Minecraft version
  • Assist with workshops and other training activities
  • Contribute to reports, publications, presentations, and proposals

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Master s Degree in Physics, Biophysics, Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics or Data Science or other relevant discipline
  • 3 years of experience in designing and developing scientific computing software
  • Experience in high-performance parallel or distributed computing
  • Experience with GPU/CUDA, C and C++ programming
  • Working knowledge of OpenCL, OpenACC, Python, MPI

Preferred Qualifications:

  • PhD in Physics, Biophysics, Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics or Data Science or other relevant discipline
  • Experience in software development/engineering/distribution for biomolecular (GROMACS/Martini) and whole-cell simulations, computational chemistry, or other scientific computing

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work both independently and in close collaboration with researchers of various backgrounds in biology, chemistry, and physics
  • Demonstrated ability of taking ownership of a software component or overall projects

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month service basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the posting period closes. The salary range for this position is $80,000 - $150,000/year. Final salary offered will be determined by a thorough assessment of available market data, internal salary equity, candidate experience and qualifications, collective bargaining agreements and budget constraints.

Application Procedures and Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (CST) on October 9, 2025. Apply for this position by visiting and using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of the posting. Applications not submitted through will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact . For questions regarding the application process, please contact .

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures and employment eligibility review through .

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations , or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at or by emailing .

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