O'Connor Lab Software Developer

The Chronicle Of Higher Education, Inc.; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 101,921 - 124,570; Full time

Job summary

The University of Wisconsin–Madison, O'Connor Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, seeks an experienced software developer to design, build, and maintain the Lungfish web platform. You will enable researchers and public health professionals to explore environmental monitoring data through interactive visualizations and analytic reports.

You will implement modern web architectures, integrate data systems like LabKey, collaborate with scientists and data engineers, and contribute to

Qualifications

• At least four years of professional experience developing production apps with researchers.
• Demonstrated experience developing interactive data visualizations for scientific, analytical, or data intensive applications
• Demonstrated experience working with application programming interfaces and integrating external data systems into web applications with complex and rapidly evolving user needs.
• Demonstrated experience using collaborative software development practices like version control at an advanced level.
• Ability to communicate effectively with collaborators from many backgrounds and skill levels and represent lab projects professionally as a project lead.

Responsibilities

• Prepare program documentation and training requirements.
• Reviews application design specifications, codes new applications, and makes enhancements to existing applications.
• Develops, prepares, or modifies technical specifications for complex projects, system integrations, and upgrades.
• Reviews application modules for quality assurance and checks compliance with application architecture standards.
• Design, develop, and maintain public and restricted audience websites that often display data.
• Contributes to the development of data structure and systems performance strategies.

Skills

Production systems

Interactive data visualizations

APIs & data integration

Version control

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Front-end & back-end architecture

Python

TypeScript/JavaScript

Open-source collaboration

AI-assisted development tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/DS/SE

Tools

LabKey

GitHub

D3

Plotly

Apache ECharts

Job description

Salary:

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Software Engineer/Developer III

Job Summary:

The O'Connor Lab in University of Wisconsin–Madison, Department ofPathology is seeking an experienced software developer to design,build, and maintain a world-class web platform supporting theLungfish environmental monitoring project. Lungfish integratesenvironmental monitoring data, analytical pipelines, and scientificreporting systems to support research, environmental surveillance,and public health decision making. In this role you will design, implement, and maintain the primarypublic platform for the Lungfish environmental monitoring projectand lead its end-to-end deployment. This platform will allowresearchers, public health professionals, and other stakeholders toexplore environmental monitoring data through interactive datavisualizations, analytical reports, and training resources. Thesuccessful candidate will design and implement the architecture ofthis platform using modern web technologies and professional designassets that establish a cohesive visual identity and userexperience. The developer will work closely with scientists, data engineers,and research computing staff to build interfaces that integratedata from the Lungfish data warehouse and related research datasystems including LabKey. These interfaces must support explorationof large and complex environmental monitoring datasets by audienceswith varying technical backgrounds. Prototyping new frontends incollaboration with researchers and determining what architecturebest supports these frontends will be a crucial part of thisrole. This position requires demonstrated success building complex andproduction-ready software systems in research settings. Thesuccessful candidate will have experience implementing interactivedata visualizations, integrating large data systems through APIs,orienting frontend and backend architectures toward a desirableuser experience, and participating in collaborative open-sourcesoftware development using tools such as GitHub. The role will also involve using agentic AI assistance toaccelerate software development, debugging, and dataexploration.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Prepares program documentation and training requirements
• Reviews application design specifications, codes newapplications, and makes enhancements to existing applications
• Develops, prepares, or modifies technical specifications forcomplex projects, system integrations, and upgrades
• Reviews application modules for quality assurance and checkscompliance with application architecture standards
• Conducts systems analysis, reviews and interprets systemrequirements, and develops detailed system design specificationsfor system integration and upgrades
• Conducts analysis for the evaluation and selection of vendorsoftware solutions and packages
• Leads sub-functional team for application development orenhancement
• Trains and provides technical guidance to lower levelstaff
• Designs and implements test plans, and prepares systems testdata
• Design, develop, and maintain public and restricted audiencewebsites that often display data
• Develop comprehensive understanding of the research data andbiological science domains that underpins application and websitedevelopment
• Contributes to the development of data structure and systemsperformance strategies
• Participate in other lab-related and collaborator activities asneeded
• This position requires work to be completed onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Department:

School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Pathology &Laboratory Medicine, O'Connor Lab. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is dedicated to the highest quality patient care, cutting-edge and impactful research, and teaching the next generation of pathologists and scientists. We emphasize a healthy work-lifebalance and provide a supportive work environment committed to thegrowth and advancement of our members. Our vibrant clinicaldepartment integrates anatomic pathology, laboratory medicine, teaching, and a robust research enterprise, and serves the UW,American Family Children’s, VA, and other Madison hospitals. Ourbasic science and translational research programs have madefundamental discoveries in cell and stem cell biology, immunology,neuroscience, and infectious disease. Opportunities in educationinclude a T32-funded PhD graduate program, pathology resident andfellowship programs, and both medical school and undergraduatecurricula. Madison, often rated as one of the best places to live in America, is builton an isthmus, surrounded by lakes. The city, campus, green spacesand urban areas are blended to create a place unlike anyother.

Compensation:

The starting annual wage for the position is $113,246; but isnegotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such asgenerous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurancesand savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage SMPH Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer2026.

Required Qualifications:

• Applicants must provide examples of previously developed production systems, including links to deployed applications,public repositories, or portfolio materials.
• At least four years of professional experience developing,deploying, and maintaining production applications in collaborationwith researchers or similar stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience developing interactive datavisualizations for scientific, analytical, or data intensiveapplications
• Demonstrated experience working with application programminginterfaces and integrating external data systems into webapplications with complex and rapidly evolving user needs.
• Demonstrated experience using collaborative softwaredevelopment practices like version control at an advancedlevel.
• Ability to communicate effectively with collaborators from manybackgrounds and skill levels and represent lab projectsprofessionally as a project lead.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing software systems that support biologicalresearch, particularly for genomics or bioinformaticsapplications.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing complex webplatforms that integrate large or complex datasets.
• Ability to work across a range of technologies and programminglanguages and become skilled in new technologies rapidly. Idealcandidates will have visible experience with Python and thescientific ecosystem as well as TypeScript/JavaScript and the webecosystem.
• Experience working with modern visualization frameworks used inanalytical web applications, including but not limited to D3,Plotly, and Apache ECharts.
• Experience working with research data management systems suchas LabKey or similar platforms.
• Experience deploying cost-sensitive web applications in cloudenvironments or research computing infrastructure.
• Experience using open-source software development practices togovern, maintain, and improve software with contributors at variousskill levels.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools or largelanguage model systems for software engineering or data analysisworkflows.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree required; focus in computer science, datascience, information science, software engineering, or a closelyrelated field.

Contact Information:

Tia Seguin, [e-mail], 608-263-3731

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation forUW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respectthe profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience,status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. Wecommit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching,research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linkedgoals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission bycreating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from everybackground - people who as students, faculty, and staff serveWisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal OpportunityEmployer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employmentwithout regard to, including but not limited to, race, color,religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy,disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases asdefined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promoteexcellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from allbackgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. Formore information regarding applicant and employee rights and toview federal and state required postings, visit the HumanResources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for anystep in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview,pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division youare applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible tohelp the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct,including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identitiesof applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except thatthe identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis.Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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