Research Software Engineer

University of Cambridge; Newtown; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious university in the UK is seeking a Senior Research Software Engineer to enhance software compartmentalization for the CHERI Project. The role involves developing prototypes on advanced architectures and collaborating within diverse teams internationally, requiring significant expertise in C/C++ and CHERI systems. This position offers competitive salaries and the opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research in software security and compartmentalization.

Qualifications

• Significant research and engineering expertise in CHERI ISA, software compartmentalization, and compiler toolchains and/or OS internals.
• Experience in C/C++ programming languages, RISC-V or Armv8-a assembly.
• Experience with release engineering and participation in distributed collaborative projects.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and enhance software-compartmentalisation prototypes.
• Contribute to CHERI project development.
• Work with C/C++ codebases and related development tools.
• Engage in release engineering and distributed collaborative research projects.
• Collaborate with industrial and open-source communities.

Skills

Software compartmentalization

CHERI architecture

C/C++ programming

RISC-V or Armv8-a assembly

Release engineering

Continuous integration

Interpersonal skills

Tools

Development tools

Job description

Senior Research Software Engineer

Company: University of Cambridge

Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom

Date Posted: 2026-01-30T09:25:18Z

Valid Through: 2026-04-30T09:25:18Z

Employment Type: FULL_TIME

Salary: 47389-59966 GBP per YEAR

Description

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 12 months in the first instance.

The Department of Computer Science and Technology is an academic department that encompasses computer science along with many aspects of engineering, technology and mathematics. We have a worldwide reputation for academic research with consistent top research ratings. The Department has an open and collaborative culture, supporting revolutionary fundamental computer science research, strong cross-cutting collaborations internally and externally, and ideas which transform computing outside the University. Please follow the link at: to find out more about our department.

We are seeking a full-time Senior Research Software Engineer (SRSE) with a background in software compartmentalisation and the CHERI architecture to contribute to the CHERI Project. This post will maintain and enhance existing software-compartmentalisation prototypes on Arm’s CHERI-enabled Morello processor and arising CHERI-RISC-V application cores. CHERI is the result of a highly successful 15-year research collaboration between the University of Cambridge, SRI International, Arm, Google, Microsoft, and other collaborators, with support of the US and UK governments, to develop new architectural security primitives. The CHERI protection model extends off-the-shelf processor Instruction-Set Architectures (ISAs) and processors with new capability-based security primitives supporting fine-grained C/C++-language memory protection and scalable software compartmentalization.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and enhance software-compartmentalisation prototypes on CHERI-enabled architectures.
• Contribute to CHERI project development, with emphasis on security primitives and memory protection models.
• Work with C/C++ codebases, RISC-V or Armv8-a assembly, and related development tools.
• Engage in release engineering, continuous integration, and distributed collaborative research projects.
• Collaborate with downstream industrial and open-source user communities, research collaborators, and sponsors; travel as required.

Qualifications

• Significant research and engineering expertise in CHERI ISA, software compartmentalization, and compiler toolchains and/or OS internals.
• Strong experience with C/C++ programming languages, RISC-V or Armv8-a assembly, and decentralised development tools.
• Experience with release engineering, continuous integration, and participation in distributed collaborative projects.
• Strong interpersonal and organisational skills and the ability to work in a diverse international team at multiple sites.
• Willingness to engage with industrial and open-source communities and to travel within the UK and internationally.

Start Date

This post is intended to start on 1 April 2026, with potential flexibility for earlier or later start dates.

Application Instructions

• Curriculum Vitae (including details of relevant past projects, and of at least two references)
• Brief statement of the contribution you could make to the project, drawing attention to relevant experience with OS research and/or development
• A completed form CHRIS6

Questions about the post and the recruitment process may be addressed to the HR Team. Please quote reference NR48602 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Further information

The Department of Computer Science and Technology is an academic department that encompasses computer science along with many aspects of engineering, technology and mathematics. We have a worldwide reputation for academic research with consistent top research ratings. The Department has an open and collaborative culture, supporting revolutionary fundamental computer science research, strong cross-cutting collaborations internally and externally, and ideas which transform computing outside the University. Please follow the link at: to find out more about our department.