Research Software Engineering Group at Exeter

The University has created a centralised Research Software Engineering (RSE) group that will assist our research community with complex and bespoke research software needs.

What are RSEs?

The primary role of an RSE is to develop, maintain and extend research software as an integral part of the research process. RSEs bring dual expertise in professional software development practices and domain speciﬁc knowledge, which enables them to produce reliable, eﬃcient and maintainable software for research. Professional software engineering aids impact through the continued use of software tools after the research project has ended.

The use of research software has spread from traditional applications such as numerical methods and simulation in maths, physics and chemistry to being essential for data analysis or controlling experiments across disciplines.

RSEs work with researchers from all disciplines to gain an understanding of the problems they face, and then develop, maintain and extend software to provide the answers.

To have a look at some of the software we've developed, head over to the Group's GitHub organisation.

How can I request the time of an RSE?

If you have a research project you are working on or you are starting to write a project / grant proposal that you would like an RSE involved with then please complete and submit the information in the RSE project collaboration request form here. We will contact you within 48 hours to discuss your project needs further.

Who are we?

The group currently comprises of eight Research Software Engineers, two Senior Research Software Engineer and a Head of Research Software Engineering to oversee and steer the work of the group. You can read more about each of the RSEs and their research backgrounds via the links below:

We regularly advertise for new RSEs to join the group in response to increasing demands for our services. If you are interested in joining the group please contact the Head of Research Software Engineering for an informal conversation.

How can I engage with the RSE team?

We are working to build a network of RSEs and aligned research computing roles across the institution and would love to hear from staff performing similar roles at Exeter. We are also happy to offer free advice on your software programme challenges. Please get in touch via email or Slack. (Please note only exeter.ac.uk email addresses have been approved to join).

We also host a monthly RSE community social, which is open to all - come along and join us!

Where can I find out more?

For more information about the team, examples of what RSEs do, how to cost RSE’s on bids, along with how to transact the related costs on live projects, please contact rse-group@exeter.ac.uk.