DescriptionThe Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) at the Flatiron Institute, a division of the Simons Foundation, is seeking a full-time research software engineer to develop, maintain, and contribute to community-oriented software projects in astronomy. The software engineer will principally support the Astropy Project and contribute to projects that align with the research directions of the CCA. We expect the position to adapt over time to the needs of the broader astronomical community and CCA research community.
Research in astronomy and astrophysics depends critically on open source and other scientific software projects that are largely community driven (i.e. not developed or maintained by specific institutions). The primary role of this research software engineer position (approximately 60% of effort) is to support the Astropy Project. The Astropy Project is a community effort to develop a common core package for astronomy in Python and foster an ecosystem of interoperable astronomy packages. More information about the Astropy Project can be found on the Astropy website.
The other major role of this position is to support and contribute to projects that align with the current research directions of the CCA, and provide leadership in supporting the larger software community within CCA.
The landscape of scientific software development is evolving quickly, especially through the growing role and opportunities of LLM-assisted development tools. This position will involve helping the Astropy Project and the CCA navigate these changes thoughtfully, balancing adoption of new tools and practices with the reliability and rigor that scientific software demands.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIESWithin the Astropy Project, the primary responsibilities will be to contribute to key projects that expand the functionality and community reach of the software and to help maintain and develop core infrastructure packages that benefit Astropy and the broader Scientific Python communities. The research software engineer will:
- Lead and contribute to software efforts within the Astropy Project.
- Support and contribute to projects that align with the research directions of the CCA.
- Communicate open-source software best practices.
- Interact with other Astropy developers on GitHub, Slack, and in developer meetings.
- Collaborate with Flatiron's Scientific Computing Core (SCC), other centers within Flatiron, and the larger scientific community, when relevant.
- Help evaluate and establish best practices for LLM-assisted development within the Astropy Project and broader CCA community, including how these tools interact with open-source contribution workflows, code review, testing, and documentation.
There will also be opportunities for on-going skill development in software development and scientific computing, including mentoring by senior research scientists, discussions and tutorials with the CCA software community and the SCC (Scientific Computing Core), and support for attending external tutorials and conferences. The research software engineer will be part of a growing community of Flatiron scientists and software engineers working on astronomical software, including Flatiron Software Research Fellows (postdocs), CCA-affiliated SCC scientists, and other research software engineers in CCA. Members of this community will be encouraged to collaborate as well as to create and seek opportunities for skill development.
The research software engineer will report to a research scientist (equivalent of faculty) at CCA and will join a growing team of research software engineers across the Flatiron Institute. This position will be based in our New York City offices, in-person 4 days a week, with a start date during (or before) September 2026.
Visit the Simons Foundation career page at simonsfoundation.org/careers to learn more.
QualificationsEducation- B.S., M.S. or Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a related technical discipline.
Essential QualificationsAt least 3 years of experience with software development in a research or research-supporting context, including:
- Experience doing software development in a research environment (including academic contexts like graduate school and postdoctoral appointments, or research-oriented industry).
- Experience working with the scientific Python ecosystem (NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, etc.).
- Experience with collaborative version control systems (especially Git & GitHub).
- Experience working with collaborative software engineering practices, including coding standards and code review.
- Experience writing documentation and an interest in supporting user communities.
- Experience with project management and developing multiple concurrent projects.
- Technical and scientific curiosity with a collaborative attitude.
Desired Qualifications- Proficiency with software development in a compiled language (C, C++, Rust, Cython, Fortran, etc.).
- Experience contributing to the scientific or astronomical Python ecosystem, including a working knowledge of continuous integration systems (e.g., GitHub Actions), software testing (e.g., pytest), and using automated documentation infrastructure (e.g., Sphinx).
- Experience with HPC, GPU, and/or code profiling and optimization.
- Working knowledge of applied mathematical concepts and numerical methods.
- Working knowledge of astronomy and physics core concepts.
- Experience querying and transforming data in databases (SQL, Elasticsearch, etc.) and files (CSV, FITS, HDF5, etc.).
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS- The full-time starting annual compensation range for this position is:
- (3-6 years of experience) $150K-$185K
- (6-8+ years of experience) $190K-$215K
In addition to competitive salaries, the Simons Foundation provides employees with an outstanding benefits package.
Application Instructions Required Application Materials- Curriculum vitae
- Cover Letter
DEADLINE TO APPLYApplications received by May 22, 2026 will receive full consideration, however late applications may be considered at the discretion of the selection committee.
