Computational Scientist

Job Description

Virginia Tech’s Advanced Research Computing (ARC) organization is seeking applications to fill the role of Computational Scientist. In ARC, the computational scientists are primarily researcher-facing but also have various technical and administrative roles.

The Computational Scientist Will

• Assisting researchers with basic computational tasks and providing support for more advanced computational aspects of their projects
• Regularly engage with researchers, with ARC systems, and with the systems engineering team to promote and generally work to advance the mission of ARC through outreach activities
• Participating in ARC training sessions and workshops, and assisting in the development of educational materials
• Provide support and assistance to researchers and the ARC Helpdesk team
  
  

Virginia Tech has researchers with computational needs from a broad spectrum of domain areas. ARC enables groundbreaking research and discovery by providing centralized, scalable computing resources and advanced research computing and visualization services. ARC systems currently host 50,000 CPU cores, 500 advanced GPUs, and 10 petabytes of storage. We stay abreast of novel and developing trends in research computing and attempt to deliver high-value systems suited to the needs exhibited by the VT research community.

This position offers opportunities to mentor students, contribute to open-source software projects, attend research and trade conferences, and participate in funding proposals for sponsored projects. ARC serves a large and diverse research community,

and we seek applications from people of all backgrounds, especially from those belonging to groups that are often underrepresented in STEM fields.

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent in a computational research discipline
• Have a service mindset
• Ability to communicate technical details to audiences with varying levels of technical experience
• Comfortable working in a Linux environment, using command-line utilities and scripting languages and with experience using computational clusters (e.g., building software, run-time environment configuration, performance monitoring, shell tools, or scripting)
• Familiarity with programming paradigms commonly used in computational research
• Able to organize and optimize computational workflows in a research setting
• Exposure to computational or data-rich/big-data research workflows
• Exposure to skills and methodologies associated with software design, modification, compilation, and use
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree with an emphasis on computational research
• Experience conducting computational research in a relevant field (e.g., artificial intelligence/machine learning, bioinformatics, materials engineering, computational fluid dynamics, etc.)
• Exposure to multiple computational research fields or application areas such
  
  

as bioinformatics, finite-element analysis, computational fluid dynamics, molecular dynamics, computational chemistry, materials engineering, and AI/ML

• Advanced knowledge of related areas of IT, particularly issues around the use of high-performance computing, high-performance networking, tools to support collaborative research, cloud storage, computing, and other technology used in the computational research arena
• Experience in computational biology, bioinformatics, and “omics” fields is especially desirable
• Awareness of compliance issues surrounding research data, including federal requirements and granting agency norms
  
  

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

Commensurate upon experience

Review Date

2/14/2025

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands-on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem-solvers. A comprehensive land-grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges , a school of medicine , a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School , and Honors College . The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including the Innovation Campus in Northern Virginia; the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke; sites in Newport News and Richmond; and numerous Extension offices and research centers . A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $500 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance . These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact IT Human Resources at ithr@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.