Senior Research Software Engineer

University of Cambridge; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Cambridge, at Whittle Laboratory in West Cambridge, is seeking a Senior Research Software Engineer to lead the development of scientific software, infrastructure and interactive tools that underpin aviation research and communicate findings to government, industry and the public.

This broad, technically demanding role spans new tool development, cloud infrastructure, data pipelines and public-facing web applications; it also offers mentoring of students and colleagues,

Qualifications

• Engineering or physical-science background is preferred.
• Experience with low-order physical systems modelling.
• Experience deploying and operating web services, ideally using AWS.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of scientific software, infrastructure and interactive tools that underpin our research.
• Communicate findings to government, industry and the public.
• Support analyst-led projects, cloud infrastructure, data pipelines and public-facing web applications.
• Mentor students and colleagues; contribute to reports and publications.
• Engage with external partners and software contractors where appropriate.
• Value code quality, testability, automation and maintainable research software.

Job description

Are you ready to drive innovation at the intersection of advanced software engineering and sustainable aviation research? The Aviation Impact Accelerator (AIA) at the University of Cambridge is seeking a Senior Research Software Engineer to join our team at Whittle Laboratory in West Cambridge. As part of this team, you will lead efforts to develop the scientific software, infrastructure and interactive tools that underpin our research and communicate its findings to government, industry and the public.

This is a broad senior engineering role which is technically demanding and intellectually engaging spanning new tool development, support for analyst-led projects, cloud infrastructure, data pipelines and public-facing web applications. We are particularly interested in candidates with an engineering or physical-science background, an understanding of low-order physical systems modelling, and experience deploying and operating web services, ideally using AWS.

The AIA combines physics-based and data-driven modelling to study aviation as an interconnected system. Our software includes modern, typed Python modelling toolboxes and Bilt, an in-house framework for building a causal, composable and unit-aware engineering models, which are deployable to JAX. Much of our development is greenfield, giving team members significant influence over software architecture, engineering practices and technical direction.

The role also offers opportunities to mentor students and colleagues, contribute to reports and publications, and engage with external partners and software contractors where appropriate. We value code quality, testability, automation, and maintainable research software. This role is suitable for engineers looking to deepen their expertise in scientific and data-intensive software while maintaining industry-aligned practices.

If you are eager to contribute your skills to a meaningful mission, we would love to hear from you.

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

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

The closing date for applications is Monday 24 August 2026.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and if you have any queries regarding either the vacancy or the application process, please contact the HR Office in the first instance on [e-mail] or 01223 332615

Please quote reference NM50695 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.