Data Science and Software Engineer – Lab of Ornithology

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is seeking a Data Science and Software Engineer.

The Lab is a founding partner of BirdCast, which began more than two decades ago, aimed at observing and forecasting bird movements with radar and remote sensing technology in real time. Rapid advances in data availability and method development in the field of radar aeroecology have revolutionized avian ecology, by providing unprecedented information on aerial bird movements across space and time.

This position focuses on the BirdCast project, bridging the existing analytical research and devops teams to curate and operationalize novel data, software, and research products. It requires collaboration with world-class domain experts in migration ecology and ornithology and will work closely with the broader engineering teams in the Center for Avian Population Studies and the Macaulay library on challenging data-intensive projects and technical infrastructure to advance science and conservation.

What You Will Do

The Data Science and Software Engineer is expected to:

1) curate and standardize basic radar datasets and data products,

2) develop and maintain backend data processing pipelines based on R, C, and Python and support their cloudification,

3) make research algorithms scalable and production-ready,

4) maintain, support and develop tools for radar analysis, including the R and C-based bioRad and vol2bird open-source toolkits,

5) develop and support application infrastructure to deliver the project’s large-scale models to analyze radar and other remotely sensed data, including real-time migration tools and animated interactive visualizations for the BirdCast website,

6) promote interdisciplinary platforms for internal and external collaborators to provide access to data and application infrastructure for ecological researchers and conservation practitioners, 7) serve as a technical liaison supporting coordination and integration of BirdCast technical infrastructure to meet Lab strategic objectives,

8) participate actively in the design and evolution of Lab technical infrastructure and hosting platforms, including the transition to more scalable, agile, cloud-based systems incorporating continuous integration and infrastructure as code.

This is a one-year term position, intended to be renewed annually conditional on renewable funding, available work, and successful performance.

This position is located at the Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. Preference is for on-site but a hybrid or remote work arrangement might be considered.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

About Us:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a globally recognized leader in technology, data management, and large-scale citizen science supporting birds and biodiversity conservation. We curate more than a petabyte of digital assets, one billion bird sightings, and leverage innovative big data analysis tools and machine learning to produce web applications and services to empower a global community of bird and nature enthusiasts, researchers, conservationists, and educators. We rely on a team of high-performance engineers to help navigate intriguing technical challenges to provide data-driven services, learning platforms, and science communications supporting biodiversity and conservation communities in all corners of the globe.

Your Total Rewards

Salary Range is $98,552 – $108,400

Cornell provides great benefits that include educational benefits, access to a plethora of wellness programs, employee discounts with local and national retail brands, health care options to choose from, generous paid leave provisions: 3 weeks of vacation leave, health and personal leave, 13 paid holidays (including end of year winter break through New Year’s Day), educational benefits, and superior retirement contributions.

Check out the Top 10 Benefits Cornell Employees Love !

What We Need from You

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, natural science, statistics, or related field. 3+ years relevant experience or equivalent combination developing, managing, and automating software in a data science or scientific project setting.

• Experience with scientific computing languages R and/or Python, and with Linux/Unix scripting and command line tools.

• Experience with relational databases such as Postgres.

• Experience with Cloud platforms such as AWS, AZURE and XSEDE.

• Experience bringing research-stage proofs of concept into robust production code with continuous delivery.

• Experience collaborating with teams of researchers and engineers and motivation to work in international teams on the curation, exchange, and standardization of big data, including radar data and derived biological data products.

We are looking for demonstrable skills in problem solving and critical thinking. Excellent writing and communication skills.  Experience using software development, deployment, and project management tools. Ability to learn technical material quickly. Ability to be able to work independently and function effectively as part of a larger team. Ability to establish realistic goals and deliver work on schedule. Ability to use sound judgment in decision making and in accomplishing tasks that are urgent or of a sensitive or confidential nature, balance conflicting priorities, and make decisions from a range of choices. Ability to be comfortable working in a high-performance work environment where results are measured and where adaptability in process/procedures is required. Ability to promote cooperation and collaboration among internal and cross-functional team members to achieve common goals, and to create and foster an environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in all endeavors.

If you possess these experiences and skills, this may be the role for you! 

We would view these additional qualifications as incredibly helpful in this role:

• Advanced degree in computer science or related field.

• Experience with programming in R and R package development for CRAN.

• Experience developing, automating, and running R and/or Python statistical applications within a HPC environment, such as Spark. Programming in C/C++, and its interface with high-level languages like R and Python.

• Experience with Docker or Kubernetes and container orchestration platforms.

• An interest in contributing to international peer-reviewed scientific publications.

• Familiarity with open-source software development and an interest in promoting open science, tools, and data.

• Experience with version control, source code, and task management on Github or equivalent platforms.

• Experience with continuous integration tools such as Jenkins and Github Actions.

• Experience with configuration management tools such as Turbot, Terraform and Ansible.

• An interest in birds, nature, conservation and/or natural science is highly desired.

How to Apply:

You must submit both a Resume and Cover letter.  ​

Application Deadline is December 5, 2022 by midnight EST.

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Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations.

  

University Job Title:

Software Engineer III

Job Family:

Information Technology

Level:

F

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

Pay Range:

$84,800.00 – $98,552.00

Company:

Contract College

Contact Name:

Denise Smith

Number of Openings:

1

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Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience.

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position.

• Unique applicable skills.

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Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University’s heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations. Cornell University is an innovative Ivy League university and a great place to work. Our inclusive community of scholars, students, and staff impart an uncommon sense of larger purpose, and contribute creative ideas to further the university’s mission of teaching, discovery, and engagement.

2022-11-05-07:00