Research Software Engineer - ATLAS

University of Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working options

Job summary

The University of Oxford’s OxRSE group invites applications for a Software Engineer with a doctoral or near-doctoral degree to join the embedded RSE group in the Department of Physics. You will design, implement and maintain software for scientific research and translational projects.

Initial focus is on the ATLAS project, contributing to data management, processing and public data availability, with scope to work on other physics and university projects and to deliver training on software

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree or near completion with a strong software development component in research.
• Able to collaborate with researchers to design reliable software for scientific questions.
• Ability to rapidly learn new languages, libraries and technologies.
• Extensive experience with Python, Django, REST, Linux and large relational databases.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain software for scientific research and translational projects.
• Provide consulting and training on software development best practices and reproducible research.
• Work on the ATLAS project in the Department of Physics for the first two years.
• Contribute to ATLAS data management, processing and public data availability.
• After two years, contribute to other physics and university projects and deliver training.

Skills

Python

Django

REST API

Linux

Shell scripting

Relational databases

Software development

Research collaboration

Education

Doctoral degree

PhD near completion

Tools

PostgreSQL

Git

Job description

Salary: £40,000 - 80,000 per year

Requirements

• We are looking for candidates with a doctoral degree, or who are close to completion with their thesis submitted, and whose doctoral work includes a significant software development component; we will also consider equivalent software development experience in a research environment.
• Candidates must be able to collaborate effectively with researchers to design and implement reliable, maintainable software solutions to scientific questions.
• Candidates must be able to rapidly acquire skills in new programming languages, libraries and technologies.
• Candidates should have substantial experience and proven efficiency across most of the following: Python and web framework programming, especially Django; REST API development; Linux and shell scripting; and implementation, deployment and management of large relational databases, including multi-billion-row databases.

Responsibilities

• We work with research groups across the University of Oxford to create, improve and maintain software for scientific research and translational projects.
• We provide consulting and training to researchers on software development best practices and reproducible research.
• For the first two years, the successful candidate will work exclusively on the ATLAS project in the Department of Physics.
• The successful candidate will contribute to ATLAS data management, data processing and public data availability.
• After the initial two-year period, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on research projects across Physics and the broader University of Oxford.
• The successful candidate will have the opportunity to deliver workshops and training in software development best practices.

Technologies

• API
• Django
• Embedded
• Linux
• Python
• REST
• Web
• Network

More

We are the Oxford Research Software Engineering Group (OxRSE), working with research groups across the University of Oxford. This role is part of our embedded RSE group in the Department of Physics, based at 1-4 Keble Road. The initial project is ATLAS, an asteroid impact early warning system developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA. Its five telescope units scan the sky nightly for moving and transient objects; Oxford contributes to data management, processing and public availability, and leads scientific work on the extragalactic transients discovered and monitored by ATLAS. We offer the opportunity to contribute to impactful research and develop software practices at a world-leading university, as well as to build technical, research, project management and consultancy skills. The position is full-time, with flexible options such as part-time or job share considered, and is offered on an open-ended basis subject to external funding.

last updated 40 week of 2026