Staff Scientist Supervisor - NSF NCEMS (Huck Institutes)

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Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

This position is funded for 1 year(s); continuation past 1 year(s) will be based on university need, performance, and/or availability of funding.

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POSITION SPECIFICS​

The National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) supported by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences seeks qualified candidates for the position of Staff Scientist Supervisor.

This position will be filled at the Research Computing Software Engineer - Supervisor level.

The Staff Scientist Supervisor leads the development of research software, analytical tools, and reproducible computational workflows that support NCEMS Working Groups in synthesizing molecular and cellular science datasets. Working with investigators, staff scientists, and technical partners, this role translates scientific requirements into software solutions that enable cross-study analysis, modeling, and data-driven discovery.

This position combines hands-on research software engineering and computational problem-solving with supervision of assigned staff. The incumbent oversees software development, testing, deployment, maintenance, and integration with shared computing environments, while advising the NCEMS Director on technical priorities, risks, staffing, and resource needs.

This is a hands-on research computing and software engineering leadership role responsible for technical implementation, software quality, computational support, and supervision of technical staff. The position complements the Scientific Program Manager and Project Manager by leading research software development, computational workflows, and research computing operations rather than research administration or portfolio governance.

Key Responsibilities

Research Software Development and Maintenance

• Design, develop, adapt, and maintain research applications, analytical scripts, and software tools that address scientific needs identified by NCEMS Working Groups.
• Write, test, document, and maintain software using modern scientific programming languages to integrate and process complex biological datasets.
• Develop and refine algorithms, data structures, and processing routines supporting cross-study synthesis, molecular and cellular analysis, and computational modeling.
• Implement software enhancements that improve the reliability, usability, and value of analytical tools.
• Coordinate software testing, validation, version control, release management, and ongoing maintenance of NCEMS-supported tools and workflows.

Computational Workflows and Research Infrastructure

• Develop and support computational pipelines that enable researchers to organize, harmonize, analyze, and reuse datasets from multiple sources.
• Integrate research tools and workflows with university, high-performance computing, cloud, and other approved research computing environments.
• Collaborate with computing specialists and research personnel to identify storage, processing, access, and workflow execution requirements.
• Optimize computational performance by resolving bottlenecks, memory-use issues, and other efficiency constraints.
• Promote portability, reproducibility, and sustainable operation of analytical workflows across participating research teams.

Scientific Data Analysis and Applied Methods

• Partner with Working Group investigators to translate scientific questions into feasible analysis plans and software requirements.
• Contribute expertise in data integration, statistical and quantitative analysis, model evaluation, and AI/ML-enabled research where appropriate.
• Evaluate data quality, interoperability, formatting, and analytical limitations affecting validity and reproducibility.
• Develop reusable analytical components and computational approaches applicable across NCEMS-supported projects.
• Provide guidance on the capabilities and limitations of computational tools and methods.

Technical Problem-Solving and Research Support

• Investigate and resolve software defects, pipeline failures, data-processing issues, and other computational challenges.
• Work directly with researchers to diagnose technical problems, implement solutions, and identify when specialized infrastructure support is required.
• Apply established methods while evaluating alternative approaches for complex research computing challenges.
• Provide consultation, training, and user support to facilitate effective use of NCEMS-supported software and workflows.

Working Group Technical Planning and Delivery

• Participate in Working Group planning and project reviews to define computing requirements, technical milestones, deliverables, and implementation dependencies.
• Lead or contribute to software and workflow projects from requirements gathering through development, deployment, and long-term support.
• Coordinate technical activities, monitor progress, and recommend adjustments when data, staffing, or infrastructure constraints arise.
• Collaborate with scientific leadership and project management staff to align technical work with research goals and timelines.
• Identify opportunities to reuse proven solutions across projects to reduce duplicated effort.

Supervision, Staff Development, and Quality Review

• Supervise assigned research computing and scientific personnel by distributing work, setting priorities, and monitoring progress.
• Review software, computational outputs, and technical documentation for quality, accuracy, maintainability, and adherence to established procedures.
• Coach staff and students on software development, analytical methods, troubleshooting, reproducibility, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Participate in onboarding, hiring, performance feedback, and staff development activities.
• Foster a positive team environment through clear communication of expectations, concerns, and solutions.

Documentation, Research Quality, and Knowledge Sharing

• Develop and maintain technical documentation, software specifications, operating procedures, user guides, and troubleshooting resources.
• Promote reproducible computational practices, traceable analytical decisions, and appropriate software testing.
• Share technical methods and lessons learned through workshops, presentations, discussions, and written materials.
• Contribute technical methods, analyses, results, figures, and descriptions to manuscripts, reports, proposals, and other NCEMS research outputs.

Technical Planning, Collaboration, and Reporting

• Advise the NCEMS Director on research computing capabilities, technology options, software support requirements, and resource needs.
• Coordinate with university computing units, external collaborators, and NCEMS researchers to support effective use of shared computing resources.
• Provide updates on development progress, operational issues, staffing capacity, technical deliverables, and corrective actions.
• Stay current with advances in research software engineering, computational biology, scientific data management, and analytical technologies, recommending practical improvements for NCEMS.

Independence and Decision-Making

The successful candidate will with minimal supervision on complex research computing assignments and establishes daily priorities for assigned staff within Director-approved objectives. Routine issues are resolved independently using established practices and sound technical judgment. Matters involving significant changes to Center strategy, staffing, budgets, or major resource commitments are referred to the NCEMS Director.

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree
3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
Required Certifications:
None

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Penn State does not sponsor or take over sponsorship of a staff employment Visa. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

SALARY & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $102,936.00 - $154,452.00.

Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being. In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time. One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children. For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

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