Student Assistant III

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 28,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is seeking a curious, hands‑on student to join the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL). You will assist with deployment, maintenance, and optimization of HPC, storage, networking, and software for atmospheric and Earth science research, working with senior staff and mentors.

You will gain experience on GPU‑based hardware, learn tools and analytics, and help port NCAR applications to experimental architectures.

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled for the entire duration of the appointment for credit in an accredited school or program.
• Knowledge 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.

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 software stacks.
• Assists with writing and presenting recommendations to HPCD management for hardware and software products.
• Learns basic systems administration and maintenance of multi-vendor open‑source HPC systems and helps plan installations and upgrades.

Skills

Computer systems

Networking

Teamwork

Communication

Organizing work

Education

Enrolled in accredited school

Tools

Python

Bash

GNU/Linux

Open source

AI/ML/DL

GPGPU

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

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