Research Software Engineer

Job title:

Research Software Engineer

Company

UK Atomic Energy Authority

Job description

Company DescriptionBy 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for groundbreaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow’s power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment.
• Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders,
• Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays
• Wide range of career development opportunities
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive

Job DescriptionThe salary for this role is £42,858 (inclusive of a Specialist Allowance). Onsite working is expected for 3 days a week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working.This role can be based at any of the following sites; Culham, OxfordshireThis role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.The RoleThe Power Plant Modelling and Integration Group (PPMI) is responsible for integrated fusion power plant design. We develop and exploit the power plant modelling software PROCESS and BLUEMIRA to influence decision-making on the UK STEP and EUROfusion EU-DEMO design programmes. The PPMI focuses on high-level integrated modelling of feasible fusion power plant designs, and the PROCESS and BLUEMIRA codes use reduced physics and engineering models to explore various reactor designs and optimise them for key metrics.The role of Research Software Engineer is to develop and support the modelling capability for the PPMI group’s fusion power plant design codes for UKAEA. We focus on balancing the demands between science and engineering domain experts and design programme performance requirements as well as providing expertise including advice and training. The Research Software Engineer will be able to shape the tools being used whilst gaining a holistic view of the interdisciplinary challenges faced in a highly integrated physics and engineering project.What will you be responsible for?

• Developing PPMI software as part of the technology programme at UKAEA
• Contributing to the PPMI software team by participating in shared planning, problem solving and reviews, sharing knowledge and helping both internal and external colleagues.
• Working with scientists and engineers to understand project requirements and identifying areas for collaboration.
• Creating high-quality software for reproducible, trusted research that impacts decision-making of power plant design programmes
• Engaging with the research and RSE community to communicate developments and learn from others.

QualificationsEssential:Qualifications:

• Degree in a scientific, engineering or technical subject + PhD or experience working in an academic or industrial research environment
• Demonstrable experience of developing software in at least one language used in scientific or engineering applications (e.g. Python, Fortran)
• Familiarity with good development practices such as version control and software testing
• Understanding of the software development lifecycle and experience of writing software for use by others
• Ability to communicate effectively and collaborate well on projects

Desirable:

• Any of the research or technology disciplines related to UKAEA’s activities
• Computational modelling and numerical simulation
• Data analysis and visualization
• Working knowledge of developing and deploying software on Linux platforms
• Familiarity with some relevant technologies: Git, Gitlab/Github, automated testing & CI, build systems, packaging, containerisation
• Experience of working with existing codebases and legacy scientific languages
• Using scientific computing platforms such as compute clusters, HPC or cloud systems
• Involvement in the RSE community and/or experience of giving talks, training or helping to run events

Additional InformationA full list of our benefits can be found hereUKAEA’s mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We are under-represented from some groups and so want to encourage applications in particular from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African backgrounds and from Pakistani and Bangladeshi British backgrounds. Our Executive team, supported by our ‘Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and takes steps to increase diversity within our organization. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.UK Atomic Energy Authority is committed to being accessible. Please email if you have any questions or require help or adjustments to compete on a fair basis, for example, changes to the way we interview or share information.Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications.

Expected salary

£42858 per year

Location

Culham, Oxfordshire

Job date

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 22:11:23 GMT

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