Research Software Engineer.

Dartmouth College; Hanover (NH); On-site; USD 92,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Dartmouth College’s Center for Open Neuroscience (CON) seeks a Research Software Engineer to help build infrastructure that makes neuroscience data FAIR, open, and reproducible at scale. You will work on flagship open-source projects like DataLad, DANDI, EMBER, and OpenNeuro Archives, used by researchers worldwide.

This high-impact role designs workflows for versioned data management, applies them to real data wrangling tasks, and collaborates with scientists across institutions and countries to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, neuroscience, or related field, or equivalent software engineering track record.
• 2 years of software engineering and programming experience.
• Deep understanding of git and scripting around its internals.
• Proficiency in Python and its ecosystem (pytest, CLI frameworks).
• Experience with open source development workflows (code review, CI).
• Familiarity with virtualization/containerization (Docker/Podman, Singularity/Apptainer) and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP).
• Ability to work independently in a distributed team.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain open-source software and standards for data versioning, distribution, and archiving.
• Build pipelines for ingesting and validating datasets against community standards (BIDS, NWB).
• Develop containerized and cloud-native data processing solutions.
• Collaborate with developers, neuroscientists, and standards architects across institutions.

Skills

Git

Python

Docker/Podman

Cloud platforms (AWS/GCP)

Data versioning

Open-source workflows

Communication in distributed teams

Neuroscience data handling

Shell scripting

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Neuroscience or related

Tools

DataLad

git-annex/DVC/LFS

NW BIDS/HE D standards

Job description

Position Details

Position Information

Posting date 11/05/2026

Closing date

Open Until Filled Yes

Position Number 1129744

Position Title Research Software Engineer

Hiring Range Minimum $92,100

Hiring Range Maximum $115,100

Union Type Not a Union Position

SEIU Level Not an SEIU Position

FLSA Status Exempt

Employment Category Regular Full Time

Scheduled Months per Year 12

Scheduled Hours per Week 40

Schedule Monday -Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

Location of Position Hanover, NH

Moore Hall, Room 430

Remote Work Eligibility? Onsite only

Is this a term position? No

If yes, length of term in months. NA

Is this a grant funded position? Yes

Position Purpose

The Research Software Engineer at the Center for Open Neuroscience ( CON ) helps build infrastructure that makes neuroscience data FAIR , open, and reproducible, working on open-source projects such as DataLad, DANDI , EMBER , and OpenNeuro Archives. Essential duties include designing and implementing workflows for versioned data management and processing, applying them to real data wrangling tasks, contributing to national neuroimaging data archives, and helping shape the standards for how neuroscience data is organized and shared. The role involves collaborating with developers, neuroscientists, and standards architects across institutions and countries.

Description

The CON , part of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College, is seeking a Neuroinformagician — an enthusiastic Research Software Engineer to help build the infrastructure that makes neuroscience FAIR , Open, and Reproducible at scale. You will work on and with flagship open-source projects -including DataLad, ReproNim, DANDI , EMBER , and OpenNeuro Archives, and others – that are used by thousands of researchers worldwide and are central to the NIH BRAIN Initiative’s ecosystem.

This is a high-impact role at the intersection of scientific computing, data engineering, and open-source community building. You will design and implement workflows for versioned data management and processing, apply them to real data wrangling tasks, contribute to national neuroimaging data archives, and help shape the standards that define how neuroscience data is organized and shared. Your work will directly accelerate brain research across hundreds of laboratories.

You will collaborate with a diverse network of developers, neuroscientists, and standards architects across institutions and countries. The role offers genuine opportunities for professional growth — whether that means deepening expertise in distributed systems, learning neuroscience domain knowledge, contributing to published research, or developing leadership within open-source communities. Opportunities to present work and engage with collaborators at scientific conferences and developer sprints are available for those who enjoy them and have content to deliver!

Required Qualifications - Education and Yrs Exp

Bachelors plus 2-3 years' experience or equivalent combination of education and experience

Required Qualifications - Skills, Knowledge And Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, neuroscience, or related field, or ability to demonstrate equivalent proficiency through a public track record of software engineering contributions (e.g., GitHub/GitLab profile).
• 2 years of relevant software engineering and programming experience.
• Deep understanding of git — comfortable with its internals and able to script around git plumbing, not just routine commit-and-push workflows.
• Solid proficiency in Python and its ecosystem: pytest, CLI frameworks, packaging.
• Experience with free and open source software development workflows: public code review, continuous integration, issue-driven development.
• Familiarity with virtualization/containerization (Docker/Podman, Singularity/Apptainer) and cloud platforms ( AWS , GCP , or similar).
• Ability to work independently, prioritize across multiple concurrent projects, and communicate effectively in a distributed team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with git-annex or another data versioning system ( DVC , LFS ) for managing large files alongside code. Even better: demonstrated depth with git-annex, DataLad, or significant contributions to git’s ecosystem.
• Hands-on experience with neuroscience data and standards: familiarity with the Brain Imaging Data Structure ( BIDS ) and/or Neurodata Without Borders ( NWB ), including practical work with neuroimaging data (fMRI, EEG , MEG ) or neurophysiology recordings. Experience contributing to standards development is a strong plus.
• Demonstrable public history of open-source development — we will review your public GitHub/GitLab profile, commit history, and community interactions as part of the evaluation.
• Demonstrated efficiency with agentic AI systems for software development and beyond — e.g., using LLM -powered coding assistants, AI-driven code review, automated refactoring, or building AI-augmented workflows. We value candidates who thoughtfully integrate AI tools into their engineering practice to amplify productivity while maintaining code quality.
• Working knowledge of additional languages and platforms relevant to our stack: Rust, Haskell, JavaScript/TypeScript, shell scripting.
• Experience with high-performance computing environments and job schedulers: SLURM , HTCondor.

Department Contact for Recruitment Inquiries

Jean Evans

Department Contact Phone Number

[e-mail]

Department Contact for Cover Letter and Title

Yaroslav Halchencko, Research Professor

Department Contact's Phone Number

[e-mail]

Equal Opportunity Employer

Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity employer under federal law. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status. Applications are welcome from all.

Background Check

Employment in this position is contingent upon consent to and successful completion of a pre-employment background check, which may include a criminal background check, reference checks, verification of work history, conduct review, and verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, and/or certifications, with results acceptable to Dartmouth College. A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Is driving a vehicle (e.g. Dartmouth vehicle or off road vehicle, rental car, personal car) an essential function of this job?

Not an essential function

Special Instructions to Applicants

This position is funded by a grant. Continuation is based upon available funds.

Dartmouth College has a Tobacco-Free Policy. Smoking and the use of tobacco-based products (including smokeless tobacco) are prohibited in all facilities, grounds, vehicles or other areas owned, operated or occupied by Dartmouth College with no exceptions. For details, please see our policy. https://policies.dartmouth.edu/policy/tobacco-free-policy

Additional Instructions

Visa sponsorship information: Dartmouth is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Key Accountabilities

Code Development and Maintenance:

Design, implement, and maintain open-source software and standards for large-scale scientific data versioning, distribution, and archiving. This includes contributing to core tools (DataLad and git-annex ecosystem, DANDI CLI / API ), building and improving pipelines for ingesting and validating datasets against community standards ( BIDS , NWB , HED ), and developing containerized and cloud-native solutions for data processing and delivery. Work in the open on GitHub and other code hubs like hub.datalad.org using modern CI/CD practices, automated testing, and code review.

Percentage Of Time 50%

Data Wrangling And Curation:

Apply the tools and workflows you build to real-world datasets — organizing, validating, and curating neuroimaging and neurophysiology data from the Dartmouth Brain Imaging Center and public archives ( DANDI , OpenNeuro). This includes converting raw acquisitions into standards-compliant formats ( BIDS , NWB ), enhancing annotations (e.g. with HED ), troubleshooting data quality issues, and ensuring datasets are properly versioned and published. This hands‑on—

Percentage Of Time 25%

Community Engagement And Support:

Collaborate with a distributed team of developers and researchers. Engage with the open-source and neuroscience communities through issue triage, code review, user support, and participation in standards development ( BIDS , NWB , HED , and related specifications). Demonstrate a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and cultural awareness through actions, interactions, and communications with others.

Percentage Of Time 15%

Documentation And Dissemination:

Create and improve developer and user documentation for project components. Contribute to blog posts, tutorials, and scientific publications that communicate the impact and usage of the tools you build.

Percentage Of Time 10%

• Demonstrates professionalism and collegiality through actions, interactions, and communications with others appropriate to an environment that is welcoming to all.
• Performs other duties as assigned.