Lead Research Software Engineer

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Overview

The Lead Research Software Engineer serves as the principal technical architect for the newly launched Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions (YCGS). This role bridges cutting-edge research needs and production-grade engineering to develop software systems that enable geospatial discovery, AI applications, and data-driven decision making across disciplines.

Working closely with faculty, researchers, and partners from digital humanities and economics to climate science and engineering, the lead RSE will design scalable infrastructure, mentor a multidisciplinary team, and establish campus-wide standards for reproducible computational research.

Technical Leadership: Design and implement geospatial and computational software solutions that support diverse research initiatives. Design scalable data pipelines, APIs, and cloud-based infrastructure for spatial, temporal, and text-based data.

Develop reusable tools for data integration, analysis, and visualization. Apply best practices in DevOps (CI/CD, testing, containerization, documentation, version control)

Software Development and Research Support: Develop end-to-end systems, from geocoding and data harmonization pipelines to LLM-based analytics and interactive dashboards.Collaborate with faculty and students with research design, code optimization, and publication-quality outputs. Ensure reproducibility, accessibility, and sustainability of Center-developed software.Contribute to grant proposals and scientific publications.

Team Leadership and Mentorship: Supervise and mentor software engineers and student developers. Lead code reviews, manage project milestones, and uphold software quality standards. Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and learning-oriented technical culture.

Training, Outreach, and Strategic Engagement: Conduct workshops on computational and geospatial tools. Represent YCGS in campus collaborations and external technical networks. Advise on infrastructure planning, funding proposals, and emerging technologies in AI, ML, and geospatial analytics.

Required Skills and Abilities:

1.Proven ability to design and lead interdisciplinary software projects from concept to deployment.

2.Expertise in spatial modeling, data fusion, and interpretation of complex computational outputs.

3. Experience developing tools leveraging AI, NLP, and/or geospatial analytics for applied research.

4.Exceptional ability to communicate computational concepts clearly to non-technical audiences.

5. Demonstrated effectiveness collaborating across disciplines with senior faculty or staff, students, and technical staff.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

1.6+ years of professional programming experience with Python and at least one additional language (e.g., R, JavaScript, C/C++ or Rust).

2.Expertise in geospatial data structures, analysis, and visualization frameworks (e.g., GeoPandas, GDAL, Leaflet, Mapbox, or Cesium).

3.Experience building data pipelines and APIs for large, heterogeneous datasets.

4.Strong familiarity with cloud and HPC environments (AWS, GCP, Azure).

5.Working knowledge of AI/ML frameworks (e.g., Hugging Face, LangChain, PyTorch) and GeoAI techniques.

6.Experience with spatial databases and formats (e.g., PostGIS, GeoJSON, Parquet, Zarr, NetCDF).

7.Proficiency with data visualization and dashboard frameworks (e.g., D3.js, Plotly, Streamlit, Observable).

8.Familiarity with geospatial data portals (e.g., NASA Earthdata, Copernicus, Planet API, OpenStreetMap).

9.Demonstrated application of reproducible software development practices (GitHub/GitLab, CI/CD, testing, documentation).

Principal Responsibilities

Required Education and Experience

Requires a bachelor's degree in a related area and a minimum of four years of experience in the field or in a related area.

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Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

Salary offers are determined by a candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role’s grade profile and current internal and external market conditions.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through  their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.