Research Software Engineer - ATLAS

Salary: £40,000 - 80,000 per year

Requirements:

• We are looking for candidates with a doctoral degree, or who are close to completion with their thesis submitted, and whose doctoral work includes a significant software development component; we will also consider equivalent software development experience in a research environment.
• Candidates must be able to collaborate effectively with researchers to design and implement reliable, maintainable software solutions to scientific questions.
• Candidates must be able to rapidly acquire skills in new programming languages, libraries and technologies.
• Candidates should have substantial experience and proven efficiency across most of the following: Python and web framework programming, especially Django; REST API development; Linux and shell scripting; and implementation, deployment and management of large relational databases, including multi-billion-row databases.

Responsibilities:

• We work with research groups across the University of Oxford to create, improve and maintain software for scientific research and translational projects.
• We provide consulting and training to researchers on software development best practices and reproducible research.
• For the first two years, the successful candidate will work exclusively on the ATLAS project in the Department of Physics.
• The successful candidate will contribute to ATLAS data management, data processing and public data availability.
• After the initial two-year period, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on research projects across Physics and the broader University of Oxford.
• The successful candidate will have the opportunity to deliver workshops and training in software development best practices.

Technologies:

• API
• Django
• Embedded
• Linux
• Python
• REST
• Web
• Network

More:

We are the Oxford Research Software Engineering Group (OxRSE), working with research groups across the University of Oxford. This role is part of our embedded RSE group in the Department of Physics, based at 1–4 Keble Road. The initial project is ATLAS, an asteroid impact early warning system developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA. Its five telescope units scan the sky nightly for moving and transient objects; Oxford contributes to data management, processing and public availability, and leads scientific work on the extragalactic transients discovered and monitored by ATLAS. We offer the opportunity to contribute to impactful research and develop software practices at a world-leading university, as well as to build technical, research, project management and consultancy skills. The position is full-time, with flexible options such as part-time or job share considered, and is offered on an open-ended basis subject to external funding. Applications require a supporting statement using the provided form, a CV and a sample of software engineering work. The application deadline is 23 October 2026 at 12 noon.

last updated 39 week of 2026