Research Software Engineers

We work with members of staff across the University and find solutions tailored to individual research needs. See examples of our past projects.

Our team brings extensive skills and experience, including high-performance computing, computational modelling, embedded software design, data management and data science.

RSEs in the central IT Services pool can support projects of any size, from a few hours to full-time involvement on multi-year grants. Our time is usually charged to your department or project. Occasionally, we have the capacity to take on projects at no cost, depending on availability. Consultations are always free.

Meet the team

Emma Barnes

Head of Research and Faculty IT

I manage the Research IT team, Viking (our high-performance computing facility), and departmental and central research computing resources. I offer consultation and support to academics, and I'm dedicated to discovering new technologies that help researchers achieve their goals. My background is in particle physics, programming and Linux. 

Philip Harrison

Research Software Engineer Team Lead

I oversee the deployment of RSEs across research projects and advise academics on the support and facilities available at the University. I’m particularly interested in helping researchers in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences use computing tools and technology. I also develop software, typically for projects involving speech and audio across a range of departments. My background is in acoustic engineering, linguistics, and forensic science.

Killian Murphy

Senior Research Software Engineer

I work across a range of departments, primarily on the design and implementation of analytical instruments, development of bespoke embedded systems and resolving problems with and improving hardware / software systems. I'm a generalist with an educational background in computer science, and enjoy finding solutions to problems using experience from a range of technical and non-technical fields. 

Stuart Lacy

Senior Research Software Engineer

I typically work on data science focused projects at the Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories and in other departments. I provide software support to air quality researchers to streamline data processing pipelines, build data visualisation dashboards, and run statistical analyses. Amongst other things, I am experienced in programming in R and Python, data storage and management, cloud computing, web development and version control. My background is in electronic engineering and statistical modelling.

Ed Higgins

Research Software Engineer

I work across a range of projects in different departments where I help develop and optimise software. I specialise in developing high-performance software in C/Fortran, using frameworks like MPI, OpenMP, and CUDA, as well as higher-level languages such as Python and Ruby. I'm also experienced with cloud and cluster infrastructure, and mobile app development. My background is in condensed matter physics and high-performance computing. 

Tom Chapman

Research Software Engineer

I am currently working with the York Plasma Institute on software used in simulations of plasma physics, and with a group in the Chemistry department on software for managing an NMR spectrometer. I'm experienced in high-level, managed languages, such as C#. I have a particular interest in increasing the longevity of software through the principles of 'clean code' and the ideas of software craftsmanship, especially TDD (test-driven development) and XP (extreme programming). My background is in physics and application development. 

Jonathan Hedges

Research Software Engineer

I am currently working with a group in the Chemistry department to develop a user interface and control software for NMR spectroscopy experiments. My previous project involved developing elements of a safe autonomous robot designed to navigate inside a building. I am experienced in working with Python, C and C#, as well as machine learning libraries and most notably the Robot Operating System (ROS).

Maciek Zaweracz

Research Software Engineer Intern

I am working in the Research IT team during the placement year of my Computer Science degree. I am applying and increasing my knowledge and skills in languages like Python, C#, and Java, as well as in web development and software engineering. I am currently collating and cataloguing the research outputs of the Turbulent Dynamics Of Tokamak Plasmas (TDoTP) project at the York Plasma Institute.