Software Engineering in Academic and Commercial Research

Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford

12 Mar 2020
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Alys Brett, Head of Software Engineering, UK Atomic Energy Authority

Software is fundamental to almost all modern research, although historically much of the development has been done by researchers in a somewhat ‘amateur’ way. Going forward this must change to maintain the credibility of the research. Researchers need to either become professional software engineers, or work in close collaboration with knowledgeable software developers, and get due recognition for the important role they play. This talk will discuss the new professional discipline of Research Software Engineer and how it is helping bridge the gap.

Bio:

Alys Brett is head of the Software Engineering Group at the UK Atomic Energy Authority in Culham – a government-backed lab with a mission to deliver commercial fusion power.

Alys became a fellow of the Software Sustainability Institute in 2015 and, through this, got involved in the Research Software Engineering movement that was starting to gather steam. She became joint-chair of the UK RSE Association in 2016 and was founding chair of the Society of Research Software Engineering – a professional organisation for RSEs established in 2019. She continues to work on national and international initiatives to improve access.

Meetings are free to attend and non-BCS members are welcome. It is helpful to us if you register, for catering purposes, but not essential.

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