Scientific Software Engineer

University of British Columbia - Staff; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent university seeks a Scientific Software Engineer to develop scalable software infrastructure for cosmological research datasets. The ideal candidate will possess strong experience in C/C++ and Python, and demonstrate exceptional problem-solving skills. Join a collaborative team dedicated to groundbreaking astronomical research leveraging massive data from CHIME.

Qualifications

• Minimum of three years of related experience, or equivalent education.
• Degree in Engineering Physics or Computer Engineering preferred.
• Strong focus on delivering results and excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable software infrastructure for data processing.
• Create and refine algorithms for data analysis.
• Work independently while ensuring alignment with project objectives.

Skills

C/C++ application development

Python

Unix/Linux

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

Undergraduate degree in Engineering or Applied Science

Job description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Scientific Eng., Level B Job Title Scientific Software Engineer Department CHIME Administration | Department of Physics and Astronomy | Faculty of Science Compensation Range $6,747.50 - $9,701.42 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date June 25, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Jul 5, 2027

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Description Summary:

CHIME is a radio telescope that maps the 21-cm signature of neutral hydrogen in the largest volume of space ever surveyed, scans the cosmos for Fast Radio Bursts and monitors all of the Milky Way Pulsars visible in the Northern Hemisphere. CHIME scans the entire northern sky every day and processes over

6.4Tb/s of sky data 24/7 on a large on-site GPU cluster. CHIME is a multi-institutional collaboration with 100+ members.

The Scientific Software Engineer will design and implement scalable software infrastructure and data processing software for CHIME's massive datasets. The role includes algorithm development and data analysis of cosmology datasets, >4PB, stored on the National Data Center. The candidate is responsible for exploration and assessments of numerical methods and optimization strategies for analysis stages of the data-analysis pipeline.

Organizational Status:

This position reports to the Project Manager and faculty members. The research Engineer will provide mentorship and direct support to other research Engineers, Postdoctoral Fellows and graduate students within the CHIME team across multiple institutions.

Work Performed

Designing, developing, implementing, and testing software components for data processing, analysis, and visualization. Creating and refining algorithms for data reduction, calibration, RFI flagging, re-gridding, and imaging. Building and maintaining pipelines for automated data processing, from raw data to final science products. Performing analysis on processed data to extract scientific information.

Design modifications to existing real-time acquisition software to meet scientific needs of the experiment. Works closely with postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and other staff engineers to develop and integrate software to address scientific needs

Commitment to inclusive collaboration and respect for diverse perspectives.

Consequence of Error/Judgement:

Good technical judgement by the candidate will result in a well-maintained easy-to-use instrument tuned to its scientific purpose. Good decisions will result in a system that is easier to maintain and operate. Poor judgement can result in damage, lost observation time and reduced sensitivity, delay and lost productivity of the entire collaboration.

Supervision Received:

The Research Engineer will work as part of one or more teams with considerable latitude and reports to Project Manager and faculty members. The engineer is expected to propose project goals, set technical direction, and execute work independently, while ensuring alignment with strategic project objectives.

Supervision Given:

The supervision given will include day-to-day direction of all relevant chime staff, selected graduate students, coop and intern students, and visiting Engineers who will participate in various research projects. Provide work related direction to the engineers within the chime team.

Minimum Qualifications:

Undergraduate degree in Engineering or Applied Science. Minimum of three years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Performance Competencies and Criteria:
  An undergrad degree in Engineering Physics or Computer Engineering preferred with two years
  of relevant experience.
  In depth understanding of Unix/Linux operating systems.
  C/C++ application development and maintenance.
  In depth experience with Python
  Ability to work in a fast changing environment and to learn new tools and applications quickly
  and independently.
  Strong problem solving skills and attention to detail.
  Experience with concurrent programming, in particular to run large scientific calculations
  Experience in troubleshooting operational anomalies in HPC systems is an asset.
  Good team player with strong focus on delivering results to meet the scientific needs.
  Self-motivated and demonstrated ability to work on different projects concurrently and to
  manage deadlines.
  Excellent communication, organizational and interpersonal skills in written and spoken English.