University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Job Description Summary

CNB Senior Software Engineer

As part of the Department of Psychiatry, the Brain Behavior Lab (BBL) and the Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI) are devoted to the study of brain and behavior using innovative neuroimaging research techniques and the application of bioinformatics resources. LiBI brings together researchers in medicine, psychiatry, engineering, computer science, physics and biostatistics to understand brain structure and function, based on functional and structural neuroimaging data. The Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CNB) and Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA) are computerized batteries of tests and scales that measure multiple domains of neurocognition and clinical symptomatology that are used by BBL and LiBI researchers and collaborators around the world. The Senior Software Engineer will work closely with the scientific and informatics teams to drive innovation and integrate new methodologies into our current and future CNB and CAPA projects.

Job Description

The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is the oldest and one of the finest medical schools in the United States. Penn is rich in tradition and heritage and at the same time consistently at the forefront of new developments and innovations in medical education and research. Since its founding in 1765 the School has been a strong presence in the community and prides itself on educating the leaders of tomorrow in patient care, biomedical research, and medical education.  http://www.med.upenn.edu/

CNB Senior Software Engineer 

Software Engineers build the software applications and systems that help collect quality data securely and efficiently. Software Engineers work closely with our scientific and informatics team to develop large databases of cognitive assessment data and demographic data. CNB applications developed by our software engineers enable researchers across the world easily collect cognitive data in different languages remotely or in-house for participants or all groups and ages. 

The software engineer will work with our scientific team to create the next generation of adaptive assessments (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computerized_adaptive_testing). She/he will also be responsible for proposing a roadmap for overall application development and architecture while also leading execution.  In addition, the software engineer will also support the CNB team in moving out of Flash through the end of calendar year 2020 and will transition to more current additional database-related development or application development in 2020-2021 depending on project needs and priorities.     

The ideal candidate for the Software Engineer position has a bachelor’s or Master s degree in a computer science or related discipline, demonstrates strong software development fundamentals, and is capable of working with a range of technologies. Technical experience relevant to the role includes full stack web development, backend databases and distributed computing. A knowledge of or desire to learn cutting-edge technologies and an interest in neuroscience research is valued.

Responsibilities:

• Development, testing and maintenance of adaptive CNB application
• Architect, implement, and monitor full web technology stack, including data stores, middleware data models, APIs, and front end applications
• Develops and manage tooling and frameworks involved in the development and optimization of web applications.
• Contribute to the definition of the future state of the system architecture
• Assists in writing documentation and procedures for installation and maintenance of software
• Lead and mentor junior developers and research associates in software development work, including conducting design and code reviews
• Build and maintain systems for collaborative development, version control, testing, and deployment 
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, preferably Computer Science or related field
• 3-5 year’s experience minimum holding the title of software engineer/developer
• Extensive demonstrated hands on experience using Java or JavaScript and experience designing, developing, and maintaining complex applications and database experience (SQL Server and/or Oracle) - including (but not limited to) component-based frameworks such as Angular and React 
• Must be capable of working with a range of technologies, including Python (Perl or R or MATLAB), Java, C#. On balance, very strong software development fundamentals is more important than current language skills.
• Basic understanding of Git or some version control system
• Flash experience is a plus 
• Ability to write clear, maintainable code
• Outstanding problem solving and analytical skills in addition to communication skills, both written and verbal
• Enthusiasm for leading and being part of a team
• Must be eager to learn new technologies and explore the best way to solve challenging technical problems.

This position is contingent upon funding.

Working Conditions

Office, library, computer room

Physical Effort

Typically sitting at a desk or table

Position contingent upon funding.

Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School

Perelman School of Medicine

Pay Range

$72,837.00 - $205,981.00

Affirmative Action Statement 

Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.

Special Requirements 

Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.