Research Software Engineer
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Full-time
Software Development
Posted on December 2, 2022
Research Software Engineer
Position Overview
We are seeking a humanistic software engineer to help us document the diversity of life on Earth. The person may be a back-end, front-end, or full-stack developer. The ideal candidate values meaningful work contributing to a global mission that builds on 350 years of biological exploration of Earth aimed at identifying and describing the world’s species. The person enjoys problem solving, innovating solutions, learning new methods, and communicating insight and expertise in a small team atmosphere. We employ a stable of undergraduate computer science students who bring great enthusiasm and energy to our team and who provide rewarding opportunities for reciprocal mentorship.
Biological specimens of plants and animals document the distribution of life on the planet. Our group supports biodiversity scientists in museums and research centers around the world with software that manages and publishes information about the specimens of plants and animals. Our open-source Specify platforms are used by 300+ biological collections around the globe as part of an institutional research software consortium HQ’d at the University of Kansas. We engage with these institutions every day, and our global footprint keeps increasing.
Keep humanity and passion in your career path and help us document the biological diversity of the natural world. You will enjoy a collegial and welcoming work environment as a valued colleague on our competent and friendly team--a group that has been growing this expanding museum technology initiative for 30 years.
The Specify Collections Consortium, (https://www.specifysoftware.org), is a global, non-profit, biological museum consortium, organized under the University of Kansas administrative umbrella. We offer remote, hybrid, or in-person work and a flexible 40-hour weekly schedule with a generous university benefits program. The university offers employees and their dependents tuition coverage for 12 KU credit hours per year. Other professional development opportunities are also available. Travel to the world’s museums, contingent on pandemic status, is an option, as our support activities take us to meet with biodiversity scientists around the planet.
Our home office, the Natural History Museum, is located on the bucolic KU campus. The building is a gorgeous place -- the edifice was designed after the St. Trophime Cathedral in Arles, France. Lovely Lawrence Kansas is an idyllic campus town with excellent public and private schools, active arts and music scenes, and comes with outstanding dining and cuisine options for a small town of 100,000 souls. All of that, along with a ‘can-do’, free-spirit community make Lawrence an exceptional place to live, learn, and to raise a family, or a cat.
Technologies We Use
Biological specimens of plants and animals document the distribution of life on the planet. Our group supports biodiversity scientists in museums and research centers around the world with software that manages and publishes information about the specimens of plants and animals. Our open-source Specify platforms are used by 300+ biological collections around the globe as part of an institutional research software consortium HQ’d at the University of Kansas. We engage with these institutions every day, and our global footprint keeps increasing.
Keep humanity and passion in your career path and help us document the biological diversity of the natural world. You will enjoy a collegial and welcoming work environment as a valued colleague on our competent and friendly team--a group that has been growing this expanding museum technology initiative for 30 years.
The Specify Collections Consortium, (https://www.specifysoftware.org), is a global, non-profit, biological museum consortium, organized under the University of Kansas administrative umbrella. We offer remote, hybrid, or in-person work and a flexible 40-hour weekly schedule with a generous university benefits program. The university offers employees and their dependents tuition coverage for 12 KU credit hours per year. Other professional development opportunities are also available. Travel to the world’s museums, contingent on pandemic status, is an option, as our support activities take us to meet with biodiversity scientists around the planet.
Our home office, the Natural History Museum, is located on the bucolic KU campus. The building is a gorgeous place -- the edifice was designed after the St. Trophime Cathedral in Arles, France. Lovely Lawrence Kansas is an idyllic campus town with excellent public and private schools, active arts and music scenes, and comes with outstanding dining and cuisine options for a small town of 100,000 souls. All of that, along with a ‘can-do’, free-spirit community make Lawrence an exceptional place to live, learn, and to raise a family, or a cat.
Technologies We Use
- Front-end: Typescript, React, Figma, Tailwind CSS
- Back-end: Python, Django, MariaDB, MySQL, OpenAPI ● Dev-ops: Docker, GitHub Actions, Linux
Job Description
[90%]
● With oversight from team leaders, you will contribute to extending the web-based
Specify 7 data platform for biological collections by applying software engineering best
practices, including design, code documentation, and automated testing, to create great
software for global impact.
● You will learn and understand the Specify platform architecture, security and standards,
to implement software modules, and contribute to various Specify software product and
process tools.
● You will insightfully consider design options and prioritize software innovation for
generality, flexibility, extensibility, and scalability. You will champion solutions based on a
thoughtful understanding of requirements acquired from interactions with project
Junior Engineer Update Nov 2022
stakeholders, including other team members, advisory committees, and the Specify user
community.
[10%]
● You will collaborate with remote Consortium Member collection’s scientists to
understand end-user software requirements and participate in developer meetings to
present your software development ideas and proposals.
● With oversight from team leaders, you will contribute to extending the web-based
Specify 7 data platform for biological collections by applying software engineering best
practices, including design, code documentation, and automated testing, to create great
software for global impact.
● You will learn and understand the Specify platform architecture, security and standards,
to implement software modules, and contribute to various Specify software product and
process tools.
● You will insightfully consider design options and prioritize software innovation for
generality, flexibility, extensibility, and scalability. You will champion solutions based on a
thoughtful understanding of requirements acquired from interactions with project
Junior Engineer Update Nov 2022
stakeholders, including other team members, advisory committees, and the Specify user
community.
[10%]
● You will collaborate with remote Consortium Member collection’s scientists to
understand end-user software requirements and participate in developer meetings to
present your software development ideas and proposals.
Position Requirements
Position will be hybrid (on-site and remote work) or fully remote based on selected candidate's preference.
Required Qualifications
Required Qualifications as demonstrated by application materials
- Bachelor’s degree with 1 year of professional experience
- Professional experience with one or more of: front-end, back-end, or UI development.
- Proficient in at least one of the programming languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python.
- Experience with principles of relational database systems and SQL.
- Familiarity with best-practices of software design.
- Excellent oral and written communications skills.
- Experience collaborating in a team environment.
Preferred Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or biology.
- Competency with a variety of object-oriented or functional programming languages.
- Experience with data cleanup, manipulation, and ingestion.
- Professional experience developing intuitive, end-user software applications.
- Software development experience with web services.
Additional Candidate Instructions
A complete application consists of:
Application review begins on November 28th and will continue until a pool of qualified applicants is received.
- Resume including a link to a portfolio demonstrating required skills.
- Preferred: GitHub or other open-source code sharing platform link
- A cover letter addressing how required qualifications are met.
Application review begins on November 28th and will continue until a pool of qualified applicants is received.
Contact Information to Applicants
Aimee Stewart, aimee.stewart@ku.edu
Advertised Salary Range
70,000
Work Schedule
Hybrid or remote 40-hours: M-F
Application Review Begins
Monday, November 28, 2022
Anticipated Start Date
Tuesday, January 3, 2023