Research Software Engineer

This 2-year position will be split between the PSEL, University of Edinburgh, and Oxford University. The University of Edinburgh’s Institute for Condensed Matter and Complex Systems within the School of Physics and Astronomy will be the lead academic institution. The Associate will be expected to primarily work out of PSEL’s headquarters in Saint Leonards-on-sea with frequent meetings with academic advisors Chris Stock at Edinburgh and Prabhakaran Dharmalingam at Oxford. The Associate will be expected to work closely with colleagues at large scale facilities such as at Rutherford Appleton laboratories and the ILL neutron scattering facilities. The Associate will need to be able to plan their research strategy in discussion with the supervisory team, and organise day-to-day tasks without close supervision, in order to meet agreed research and industrial goals. The Associate will also be expected to plan the write-up of their research as journal articles, producing draft papers for discussion with supervisors and collaborators. The Associate will be expected to present results at workshops and conferences in support of PSEL.

Your skills and attributes for success

Essential

• A degree in a relevant discipline (Computer Science, Physics, Materials Science, Applied Mathematics) with relevant post-graduate research experience
• Proficiency required in Python/C++ and scientific libraries (e.g., NumPy, SciPy). MATLAB is also desirable.
• Experience of good software engineering practice.
• Experience of analysing user requirements and translating them into software functionality.
• Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues on technical matters.
• Experience working productively in a team.
• Good technical problem-solving skills.

Desirable

• Past experience in optimization, programming, and curve fitting.
• A PhD in a relevant discipline.
• Familiarity with X-ray diffraction/materials science.

This Innovate UK-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) bridges cutting-edge research with industrial innovation. You’ll work within PSEL’s team to develop groundbreaking software for Laue X-ray diffraction analysis, translating academic expertise from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Oxford’s physics departments into scalable solutions for materials science.