Research Computing And Data Facilitator - Ncsa

Research Computing and Data Facilitator - NCSA

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications

The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides supercomputing and advanced digital resources for the nation's scientific enterprise. At NCSA, University of Illinois faculty, staff, students, and collaborators from around the globe use advanced digital resources to address and research grand challenges for the benefit of science and society. NCSA has been advancing one third of Fortune 50 companies for more than 30 years by bringing industry, researchers, and students together to solve grand challenges at rapid speed and scale.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks a highly qualified and motivated Research Computing and Data Facilitator. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in supporting and enhancing the research capabilities of campus scholars by providing expertise in utilizing research computing and data resources on campus, at NCSA, and nationwide. They will work to identify and advocate for new and modified services and resources required to support evolving research programs. In addition, the successful candidate will have a significant responsibility for training researchers to use research computing and data resources effectively and ensuring the availability of high-quality resource documentation and consulting services. The successful candidate will be expected to stay abreast of the latest developments in research computing and data management, ensuring that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign remains at the forefront of research innovation.

NCSA is committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community. Candidates who have experience working with a diverse range of faculty, staff, and students, and who can contribute to the climate of inclusivity are encouraged to apply.

Job Summary

Support and enhance the research capabilities of campus researchers by providing expert assistance and training to campus researchers on utilizing research computing and data resources on campus, at NCSA, and nationwide. They will work to identify and advocate for new and modified services and resources required to support evolving research programs. In addition, they will train researchers to use research computing and data resources effectively and ensure the availability of high-quality resource documentation and consulting services.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Research Application Support:

• Provide general and in-depth support/guidance in multiple areas of specialization, which include the following: accelerator programming, algorithm and library analysis, evaluation, selection, and implementation of application-based solutions; systems architecture, hardware, and software.

• Work collaboratively with research groups to assist in enhancing the performance of their codes and applications, with a special focus on advanced cluster architectures, large shared and distributed memory systems, with special attention to ML/DL/AI applications in projects and programs such as NCSA strategic efforts, Illinois Computes, Research IT, and the c3.ai Digital Transformation Institute.

• Enable users to adopt new paradigms and algorithms, such as using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning with their scientific applications and using accelerators such as graphical processing units (GPUs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

• Use available software tools to analyze performance of workflows and codes, as well as assist in identifying and installing appropriate software libraries, and collaborating with users to employ them effectively.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for several science and engineering teams: understand project goals and computational and data requirements, benchmark and/or model application performance, and tune or optimize applications for specific HPC platforms.

• Apply domain knowledge to improve academic research applications to help researchers define and solve leading-edge problems, provide consulting expertise to researchers across various science and engineering domains to leverage synergies across projects, and contribute to community codes to support a broad range of communities.

• Training development and delivery:

• Conceptualize, develop, and curate user training content covering ML/AI/DL and/or Quantum Computing applications, and advanced cyberinfrastructure systems such as HPC/HTC clusters, Kubernetes-based deployments (Jupyter Hub), and others to a wide audience.

• Provide classroom- and/or web-based training, present seminars/tutorials at workshops, etc.

• Mentor students through cohort programs.

• Facilitate and organize training events in conjunction with academic and industry partners.

• Solutions and Proposal Development:

• Conceptualize and implement application solutions for classes of problems of interest to the UIUC research community.

• Contribute to benchmarking efforts, participate in requirements gathering from key proposal stakeholders, and contribute to proposal document writing.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a field that includes a significant research computing component, such as computer science, engineering, physics, biology, bioinformatics, statistics, or a related field. Alternative degree fields will be considered if accompanied by equivalent experience. •Experience performing computational research or in working with researchers to support and enhance their research capabilities by providing expertise in utilizing research computing and data resources effectively. •Programming experience in high-performance computing systems, including development, optimization, porting, and acceleration of codes and applications.

Preferred Qualifications

• A graduate degree in a field that includes a significant research computing component, such as computer science, engineering, physics, biology, bioinformatics, statistics, or a related field.

• Experience developing and delivering training sessions on scientific programming and computing using advanced cyberinfrastructure.

• Experience or familiarity with:

• VS Code IDE, Open OnDemand, Bash, Linux command line, Python, Perl, R

• GPU accelerator programming, such as CUDA, OpenCL, HIP, ROCm, Kokkos, or similar.

• AI/ML/DL frameworks and tools such as Pytorch, TensorFlow, and AI Large Language Models

• Modelling and simulation commercial applications such as Abaqus, ANSYS, Comsol, Fluent, LS-Dyna, or similar

• Programming experience in Python, C/C++, Fortran or related languages used in research computing.

• Experience working in a Linux environment, using command-line utilities, and scripting languages and using computational clusters.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• •Knowledge of high-performance computing (HPC) environments, experience with CPU and GPU computing, and familiarity with scientific software and workflows. •Proficiency in programming languages and techniques commonly used in computational research. •Ability to handle big data, including data processing, cleaning, organization, visualization, and understanding of data management lifecycle. •Interest in a wide set of research domains beyond their own area of expertise •Strong written and verbal communication skills. •Ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 8/19/2024. Salary is commensurate with experience. The minimum salary for this position is $85,000.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on July 29, 2024. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Please submit resume and cover letter. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact jgoodly@illinois.edu For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1024289

Job Category: Research

Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu