Session

DescriptionComputational science and scientific computing are dependent on software, and this software is dependent on the people who develop and maintain it. In the past, software was primarily developed by “hero” researchers who knew the research area and enough programming techniques to build a code that they and sometimes others could use. Software today, however, is larger, less monolithic, and more complex. Additionally, new tools (e.g., version control systems, CI/CD, etc.) add a layer of abstraction to combat the growing complexity and to facilitate development. This leads to software that is developed by teams, including people who understand the research topic, people who understand the research software ecosystem (scientists and engineers), and people who understand research software engineering best practices (research software engineers or RSEs). Over the past 10 years, this RSE role has been identified and defined, with almost 10,000 self-identified RSEs and RSE organizations within many universities, national laboratories, and HPC centers. This session will share knowledge about RSE challenges with researchers who do or could work with RSEs, developers who know (or don't know) that they are RSEs, and managers who do or may hire RSEs, including faculty, group leaders, and HPC center managers.