Computational Scientist- HPC/AI Generalist

University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC) seeks a highly motivated Computational Scientist to work with faculty and researchers. You will serve as a multi-disciplinary technical expert in HPC, AI, and related technologies for science projects.

This hybrid role requires 3 days onsite and focuses on developing scalable software, providing technical training, and contributing to research grants while staying current with AI and GPU computing advances.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Experience applying HPC and AI to research computing problems.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and scalable scientific software.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement computational solutions to advance research.
• Advise on RCC resources, HPC systems, AI technologies, and cloud platforms.
• Support researchers’ use of AI/machine learning tools and model APIs.
• Develop, maintain, and optimize scientific software and workflows.
• Troubleshoot and port applications for peak performance across CPU/GPU/memory.
• Contribute to grant proposals and technical documentation.

Skills

HPC experience

AI/ML experience

Cloud platforms

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Claude Code

Anthropic API

OpenAI API

Open-weight models

Job description

About The Department

Department

Provost Research Computing Center

The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC), a unit within the Office of Research, provides advanced research computing resources and expertise to support computational and data-intensive research across the University.

RCC enables research through centrally managed high-performance computing (HPC), storage, visualization, and AI infrastructure, along with scientific consulting, user support, education, and training.

RCC also helps researchers leverage local, national, and cloud-based computational resources.

The Office of Research oversees sponsored research administration, research development, and contract management across the University.

Job Summary

The job develops software to support the data acquisition, ingestion, and integration for research projects. Assists in the development of user interfaces and scalable back-end services to automate and accelerate the scientific output of multi-institutional research projects.

The Research Computing Center (RCC) is seeking a highly motivated Computational Scientist to work closely with faculty and researchers at The University of Chicago. The person in this position will serve as a multi-disciplinary technical expert in supporting and advising faculty on using High-Performance Computing (HPC), AI, and related technologies for their research. The successful candidate will join a team of Computational Scientists who are playing a key role in scientific computing support at the University of Chicago.

This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite.

Responsibilities

• Partner with faculty and research groups as a domain expert to develop and implement computational solutions that advance their research.
• Advise on the effective use of RCC resources, HPC systems, AI technologies, and cloud platforms.
• Support researchers’ use of AI and machine learning tools, including AI coding assistants and agents (e.g., Claude Code), model APIs (e.g., Anthropic, OpenAI), and open-weight models hosted on RCC systems.
• Develop, maintain, optimize, and support scientific software, computational workflows, and research computing environments on RCC systems.
• Troubleshoot, profile, optimize, and port scientific applications to maximize performance across CPU, GPU, memory, storage, and I/O.
• Contribute technical expertise to faculty projects through the RCC Consultant Partnership Program and other collaborative initiatives.
• Contribute computational expertise to grant proposals, including scoping the AI, HPC, cloud, and storage resources committed to the project.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation and knowledge base resources.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of RCC systems, services, operational practices, and user support processes.
• Solves user problems promptly and professionally. Proactively recommend appropriate RCC technologies and services.
• Stay current with advances in AI, HPC, GPU computing, and cloud technologies, and evaluate emerging tools for adoption at the RCC.
• Develops and presents technical training materials and web-based documentation. Ensures timely systems support and updates. Assists in conducting information security assessments and risk analysis of computing environment.
• Evaluates past and present technologies to help develop new tools. Ensures all the new tools have been through quality control reviews.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Competencies

• Ability to translate researchers’ scientific goals into computational requirements.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate and apply emerging technologies in research computing.

Job Family

Research

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$85,000.00 - $102,500.00

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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