Research Systems Engineer

Job Posting Title:

Research Systems Engineer

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Hiring Department:

Department of Computer Science

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Feb 01, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

AUSTIN, TX

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Job Details:

General Notes

The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) seeks an organized and driven Research Software Engineer (RSE) for the Learning Directed Operating System (LDOS) Project. LDOS is a large multi-institution grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) CISE Expeditions in Computing program, led by Professor Aditya Akella at UT Austin in the Department of Computer Science, the home of multiple top 10 programs (U.S. News and World Report.) The project seeks to transform computer operating systems with assistance from advanced AI. The project aims to develop key LDOS research foundations, use cases/demonstrations spanning cloud/edge computing and robotics, and novel educational modules and experiences at the intersection of machine learning and computer systems. LDOS involves co-PIs from UW-Madison, UIUC, and UPenn as well as collaborators from industry partners at Amazon 16 Labs, Bosch, Broadcom, Cisco, Google, Microsoft, and TACC. In the long term, LDOS is expected to become a core Research Center under the Machine Learning Laboratory. 

Must be eligible to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship. 

Purpose

The RSE will perform core engineering and/or scientific assignments related to LDOS projects and report to the faculty director. The LDOS RSE will play an important role in partnering with key industry stakeholders to develop, test, and demonstrate LDOS prototypes in critical real-world scenarios and explore realizations of LDOS ideas in specialized settings, along with developing engaging experiences that encourage the broader practitioner community to consider and adopt LDOS and its central ideas. Additionally, the RSE will lead an annual LDOS bootcamp that will demonstrate LDOS use in the real world and cover important and practical use cases spanning robotics, cloud computing, and edge computing. Ideal candidates will be excited to help advance operating systems research with the assistance of machine learning and are interested in growing with our organization as we expand. If you are motivated to work in one of the most prestigious, exciting, and impactful research and educational programs at UT Austin, you will enjoy working with the faculty, students, and staff at LDOS.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement kernel-level software for a new learning-directed operating system
• Contribute to kernel architecture design and system-level improvements
• Participate in research and development of new kernel technologies and features
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate kernel components with other system software
• Debug and resolve complex system-level issues and performance bottlenecks
• Optimize kernel code for improved system performance, reliability, and efficiency
• Develop and maintain device drivers for various hardware platforms
• Conduct thorough code reviews and maintain high coding standards
• Document technical specifications and design decisions

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in kernel development
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with constant and multiple ongoing deadlines.    
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Ability to work independently and embrace learning new technologies.
• Excellent problem-solving abilities
• Must have excellent interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communication skills.
• Good written and verbal communication/personal skills and very detail-oriented.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Experience dealing with confidential information or the ability to keep information confidential.
• Scripting in Bash, Perl and Python.
• Strong working knowledge of automation and orchestration tools.
• Strong working knowledge of software development tools.
• Strong in C and C++ programming languages
• Strong understanding of system-level programming concepts
• Experience with Linux or other kernel development
• Familiarity with x86, ARM, or other processor architectures
• Extensive knowledge of operating system principles and architecture
• Solid debugging and troubleshooting skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D degree in computer science or related field.
• Higher education experience within an academic college or department.
• Experience collaborating with faculty.

• Strong knowledge of various Linux (or other production OS) internals.
• Working knowledge of installing Linux on non-standard hardware.
• Strong knowledge of Linux software development toolsets.

• 5+ years of professional kernel development experience
• Contributions to open-source kernel projects
• Experience with multiple operating systems (Linux, UNIX, BSD)
• Experience with research operating systems (Tock, BarrelFish, etc.)
• Knowledge of embedded systems and real-time operating systems
• Familiarity with virtualization technologies
• Performance tuning and system optimization expertise
• Experience with distributed systems.
• Understanding of computer security principles
• Certifications in systems programming or kernel development
• Experience with Container and Image applications such as Docker and Singularity.

Salary Range

$100,000 + depending on qualifications

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.