What is a Research Software Engineer?

It might seem like an odd title for a post on this blog. However, Research Software Engineering is still a relatively new profession and not everyone knows how we fit into the world of research and academia.

So, who are we? What do we do? How can we support your research?
These are all important questions, which I will now attempt to answer.

So, what is an RSE?

In short, a Research Software Engineer (RSE) is a specialist software developer who collaborates with researchers across all schools and faculties to provide the digital skills and software solutions that enable their research.

We are firm believers in the motto of the Software Sustainability Institute; that Better Software leads to Better Research. Our team has experience in a range of programming languages, as well as in areas such as data science, visualisation, security, testing and best practice. But we also have skills relating to the world of academia and research, including everything from grant writing to paper writing. We also have lots of experience working on more experimental and constantly evolving projects.

The roles of Software Developer and Research Associate are pretty familiar. The RSE sits somewhere in the middle; there is some overlap in skills and experience, but there are some key differences too.

When you work with a “traditional” software developer, you give them a detailed specification of exactly what you want, they go away and build it for you, and then you walk away with the finished product. And that is usually the extent of the relationship. An RSE collaborates with researchers to work out exactly what they need, then develops software that often changes and evolves over time, adding and adjusting features as the needs of the project change.

Meanwhile, an RA does research; runs experiments, collects data and writes papers. They are judged primarily on things like their paper output and, in the case of Computing researchers, are expected to work at the cutting edge and to demonstrate that their work is new and innovative. RSEs do occasionally produce papers or present our work at specialist conferences, but we don’t have to be doing something novel or ground-breaking, and we aren’t judged on our paper output but by the impact that our software has on your research.

What kind of work do we do?

It varies. Sometimes we build tools, like websites or mobile applications, to help researchers collect data. We can also help to analyse the collected data, often applying the latest Cloud Computing or Machine Learning technology to speed up, automate or simplify the process. We are also involved in building websites and visualisations to display and explore the data, as well as some more unique and obscure applications.

Here are a few examples of some of our recent projects:

• We developed a tool to visualise urban sensor data on a 3D model of the city of Newcastle.
• We’ve created tools to support decision-making in patient care, working in collaboration with care homes and the NHS.
• We built an augmented reality app that tells stories about the region.
• We’re developing easy-to-use machine learning tools for fast and automated analysis and prediction of x-ray spectroscopy.
• We’ve contributed to the Human Cell Atlas project.

As you can see, we work in a range of subject areas and on a range of scales, from small local projects to large international ones, with partners like the Alan Turing Institute and other organisations in the UK and worldwide. We can also get involved in all phases of an academic project, from grant writing to paper writing to report writing.

What services does the RSE Team provide?

There are many ways that we can support your research, but it generally boils down to one of two models:

Supporting Recruitment

If, for example, you need some software for your project and have enough budget to pay for someone to work for you full-time, then we would recommend that you hire an RSE to join your team.

We can assist with recruitment and career development and offer some technical support, but the RSE would be embedded within your team.

Buying RSE Time

If you have a smaller budget, or are prepared to work more flexibly, then you might consider buying time from our team. You can hire one or multiple RSEs to work on your project for almost any period, subject to availability.

Here are a couple of examples of things we are often asked to do:

• You might want someone to build a mobile app to collect data at the beginning of your project to kick-start your research, but only need someone working at one FTE¹ for three months.
• Alternatively, you might want someone to work at 0.5 FTE¹ for six months towards the end of your project to help you build a website to present the results of your research.

As you can imagine, recruiting someone for such a role would be very difficult. However, having a dedicated, centralised team of RSEs enables you to buy time from our pool of talent, allowing us to take on these shorter and more flexible assignments.

[1]: We are a Facility and charge a standard day-rate for RSE time. For our current day rate, check out our website or contact us.

Working with the RSE Team

Our RSEs usually work on multiple projects at once, and a project might be split between multiple RSEs, depending on the skills required. As such, the RSE(s) are free to join your team for meetings or work in your team’s labs/offices from time-to-time, but will generally be based with the rest of the RSE Team in the Catalyst Building.

Who Are We?

There are eighteen RSEs on the team (at time of writing), from a range of academic and professional backgrounds. For more information about the team, including their backgrounds, specialities and interests, please visit our website.

Would you like to work with us?

If you are a researcher at Newcastle University or one of our partner institutions (including the N8 and the Turing Institute), then contact us using this form, and a member of our management team will set up a meeting to discuss the needs of your project and the services that we can provide.

Hopefully, that has answered some of your questions about who we are and what we do. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact us.

Thanks for reading.