Building a team of software engineers to help power UF’s research engine

The University of Florida will soon have a software developer group to assist principal investigators and research teams, thanks to a $2-million award from UF President Ben Sasse’s strategic funding initiative.

The Research Software Engineers to Enhance/Scale Computer Research project will enlist a group of individuals to use existing infrastructure like HiPerGator to work directly with researchers on their projects. These research software engineers (RSEs) will be skilled at technically advanced tasks, including creating scientific software, developing complex workflows involving data management and curation, and offering advice on research productivity and reproducibility.

“The creation of a new research software engineering team will further advance UF as a research powerhouse,” Sasse said. “It’s great for UF and great for Florida. Bolstering HiPerGator’s capabilities helps us attract the best researchers, graduate students, and entrepreneurial minds to the state.”