Student Assistant III

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR); Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 33,000 - 34,000; Part time

Job summary

UCAR’s Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) seeks a curious student to assist with deployment, maintenance, and optimization of high-performance computing systems for atmospheric research. You will work with senior staff on GPU hardware, HPC environments, and software tools, gaining hands-on experience.

The role emphasizes learning-by-doing, mentorship, and collaboration across HPC teams, with on-site work and opportunities to contribute to analytics and performance tuning.

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled for the entire duration of the appointment for credit in an accredited school.
• Ability to work with a team and convey technical concepts to management and senior engineers.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Skill in organizing and prioritizing assignments.

Responsibilities

• Gains experience with user application code on existing and new hardware and software technologies.
• Tests and evaluates new computing, storage, and networking technologies and prepares technical reports.
• Assists with writing recommendations to HPCD management for hardware and software products.
• Learns basic systems administration and maintenance of multi-vendor open-source HPC systems.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Prioritization

Computer knowledge

Education

Enrollment in accredited school

Tools

Python

Bash

GNU/Linux

Job description

Position Type

Term - Casual (Fixed Term)

Visa Sponsored Job

No

Relocation Assistance Eligible

No

Hiring Range

50,585.00 - 50,585.00

*Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role.

Application Closes at 12:00am MST on

2026-11-06

About the Role

Please note: The updated hourly rate for this role is $24.32.

Ready to kickstart your career in supercomputing? The Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) is looking for a curious, hands-on student to join our team. You'll work alongside experienced engineers on experimental supercomputing systems, including GPU-based hardware, and help evaluate the technologies that may shape the next generation of computing for NCAR's scientific community.

This is a learning-by-doing position. You'll be trusted with real problems, supported by mentors, and expected to dig in, ask good questions, and figure things out.

This 1-year Term Student Assistant III role works alongside senior project staff in the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) to support the deployment, maintenance, and optimization of high-performance computing (HPC), storage, networking, and software systems for atmospheric and Earth science research. Depending on the candidate's skill set, core responsibilities include collaborating with High Performance Computing Division (HPCD) staff to support and maintain research and development lab environments, as well as assisting with the installation, administration, benchmarking, and troubleshooting of HPC hardware, operating systems, and specialized software tools. Additional opportunities involve tuning storage and batch schedulers, running analytics, porting NCAR applications to experimental architectures such as GPU environments, and receiving mentorship training to collaborate with and guide junior HPC students and interns.

This is a 1-year term role, and to qualify, the student must be enrolled and maintain "Student Status" for the entire term.

Student Assistants may not work more than 1,000 hours in any 12-month period.

Key Responsibilities

• Gains experience with user application code on existing and new hardware and software technologies. Learns to support software products, system administration tools, and monitoring utilities to maximize the availability and flexibility of the experimental HPC systems. Works with mentors to develop new tools and analytics, and/or enhance existing tools, analytics, and software subsystems for the experimental HPC environment.
• Tests and evaluates new computing, storage, and networking technologies, associated software stacks, and potential applications for NCAR applications. Develops knowledge of emerging technologies and how they might enhance the NCAR user experience. Assists with the preparation and delivery of technical reports and presentations on the research findings from this work
• Assists with writing and presenting recommendations to HPCD management for HPC hardware and software products, configurations, and functional enhancements or upgrades. May also propose, research, design, and implement new projects, tools, or process improvements to benefit the team and the environment
• Learns basic systems administration and maintenance of multi-vendor open-source HPC systems and gains experience monitoring the behavior of experimental HPC systems on a routine, periodic basis to ensure proper, efficient operation for all stakeholders. Helps plan and execute installations and upgrades to multi-vendor HPC software systems.

Education & Experience REQUIRED

• Must be enrolled for the entire duration of the appointment (or intend to enroll in the next regular session) for credit in an accredited secondary or postsecondary school, college or University, or in a trade school that has received a Certificate or Approval from the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities REQUIRED

• Knowledge and understanding of computer, storage, and networking systems components
• Ability to work with a team and convey technical concepts to management and senior engineers
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Skill in organizing and prioritizing assignments

Preferred Qualifications

Desired but Not Required:

• Experience with fundamental software and systems engineering concepts and practices
• Experience with at least one portable scripting language such as Python or Bash
• Experience with at least one GNU/Linux distribution
• Familiarity with scientific visualization
• Familiarity with open source software development and distribution
• Familiarity with AI/ML/DL
• Familiarity with GPGPU programming
• Ability to mentor and train students and visitors

Application Requirements

Questionnaire, Resume/CV

For full consideration, all application materials must be submitted by 12am (MST) at the start of the application deadline. These should highlight how your skills and experiences align with the responsibilities of this position. We recognize that no candidate will meet 100% of the listed qualifications. If you believe your background has prepared you for success in this role, we encourage you to apply.

Supplemental questionnaires are often requested in lieu of a cover letter, where you address critical skills needed for the position. Your answers will be read and weighed equally to your resume and should provide specific, detailed, and informative responses based on your direct and previous work experiences.

Background checks and/or federal screenings are conducted for candidates selected for hire.

UCAR is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applications from all individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants are not required to provide age-related information (like date of birth or graduation dates) in initial submissions.

For sponsored positions: UCAR can sponsor individuals for H-1B status only if they are already in the U.S. in H-1B status or another visa status that allows them to change to H-1B status within the U.S. UCAR is unable to sponsor new H-1B visas for individuals who are outside the U.S. and need to obtain H-1B status through Consular Processing.

While UCAR does not prohibit the use of AI tools in job applications, we strongly recommend that applicants submit primarily original work.

All roles require compliance with U.S. export control regulations and work location requirements. All hybrid staff are expected to work on-site approximately 3 days per week.