Research Facilitator

About CCAST

The Center for Computationally Assisted Science and Technology (CCAST) at North Dakota State University (NDSU) provides advanced computing infrastructure for research and education at NDSU and beyond. We maintain high-performance computing (HPC) clusters and research data storage systems and provide rigorous training and internship programs in advanced research computing. The Center is the largest academic supercomputing facility in the state of North Dakota. At NDSU, we facilitate and enable research in a broad range of disciplines that spans all colleges.

Position Overview

We are seeking a research facilitator to join our research computing facilitation team. As a research facilitator at CCAST, you will be responsible for advising/consulting, training, and supporting researchers from various fields in advanced research computing. On any given day, this could mean meeting with individual researchers or research groups to assess their computing and data storage needs; identifying and providing the right technology solutions for different projects; deploying and maintaining scientific software tools or computational workflows; training researchers on using HPC for their research; and/or collaborating with our systems team to improve system performance.

To be successful in this role, you should be familiar with the general architecture and use of Linux HPC clusters, including shell scripting, job scheduling, parallel computing, and GPU-accelerated computing. You should be comfortable programming in one or more languages, and ideally have some experience compiling scientific software from source code. Research experience in any field involving the use of advanced computing is expected, and due to the customer-facing nature of the position, excellent oral and written communications skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Identify and implement technology solutions for computational research and education.
• Install and maintain scientific software applications.
• Troubleshoot and resolve user-reported issues.
• Teach workshops and tutorials on topics related to computational and data-driven research.
• Develop and document computational workflows that will run on HPC clusters.
• Collaborate with the HPC systems team to resolve system performance issues and identify potential system improvements.

Additional information is available in the position description.

Work Schedule: University office hours, customarily M - F, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Advertised Salary: $70,000 commensurate with experience.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• Research experience in a field involving scientific computing.
• Experience with the Linux command line.
• Proficiency programming in one or more languages (e.g. Python, Perl, R, C/C , etc.).
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.).
• Experience using high-performance computing (HPC) in research.
• Experience teaching or delivering technical training.
• Experience writing technical and user-facing documentation.

Benefits:

NDSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes single or family health insurance coverage with premiums paid for by the university – with an effective date for new employees the first of the month following date of hire. Other benefits include: wellness benefits, basic life insurance, retirement plan, tuition waiver, annual leave, EAP, sick leave and holiday pay. Optional benefits include: supplemental life, dental, vision, long-term care insurance, flexible spending account, and supplemental retirement plans.

About Us:

North Dakota State University is distinctive as a student focused, land-grant, research university. We educate leaders who solve national and global challenges by providing affordable access to an excellent education that combines teaching and research in a rich learning environment.

NDSU is in the highest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, R1, granted to the top research institutions in the country.

NDSU has offices across the state of North Dakota, and the main campus is in Fargo, on the Minnesota border. Along with Moorhead, Minnesota, Fargo forms one of the largest metropolitan centers between Minneapolis and Seattle. The community is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live.

No Smoking Notice:

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 23-12-10.

EO/AA Statement:

North Dakota State University is an Equal Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable.

Diversity Statement:

NDSU strives to be a community of belonging, recognizing unique differences as strengths of our university. We seek to recruit and retain a diverse workforce that supports a community in which diverse populations and perspectives will know and learn from one another. NDSU values candidates who are committed to our core values of respect, inclusivity, community, creativity, excellence, impact, innovation, integrity, resilience, responsiveness, and transformation. Successful candidates will be committed to and help advance our strategic goal to create and maintain an open and respectful environment to promote inclusivity and diversity as a cornerstone of education, research, and outreach.

Veteran’s Preference Notice:

This position is subject to North Dakota Veteran’s Preference requirements.

Reasonable Accommodation Information

North Dakota State University is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, please contact Human Resources at 701-231-8961 or ndsu.hr@ndsu.edu.