The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is now hiring a Research Software Architect to work at START's headquarters at the University of Maryland, College Park. This is a full-time position, with an initial term of 12 months (starting in June 2012), contingent on funding. Responsibilities:
The Research Software Architect will conduct research, applying and testing best practices of information retrieval, machine learning, and natural language processing, to advance START's research agenda with respect to the U.S. Government's current research focus on issues related to "big data." He or she will develop and evaluate research tools to support and facilitate START data collection and analysis tasks, including collection and maintenance of the Global Terrorism Database. In addition, he or she will design and implement software applications for START Administration, START Education, and START Outreach as needed. Specific tasks include:
- Developing, maintaining and evaluating an aggregator of web-based media sources, as well as a document database to archive source materials and relevant metadata as a central aspect of START's flagship research effort and for the purposes of applied research on data management methodologies
- Developing document classification tools using information retrieval, machine learning, and natural language processing strategies as appropriate
- Developing research applications to support a web-based document management workflow to aid data collectors in processing and organizing source materials
- Providing programming support to START staff and researchers on projects varying in scope, as needed
- Participating in strategic decisions about technology, definition, and implementation of solutions to enhance START research efforts
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field
- Familiarity with information retrieval, machine learning, and natural language processing techniques
- 5+ years of experience, including best practices of all aspects of the software development life cycle (requirements, specification, architecture, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance)
- Experience with web programming in one or more of the following languages: Perl, PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, C#/.NET, as well as experience with CSS, Javascript, and JQuery
- Experience with one or more of the following database systems: SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in designing solutions for large scale implementations
- Experience in web server configuration and administration
- Experience providing technology solutions in an academic environment
The annual salary for this position will be in the range of $70,000 to $85,000 (depending on education and experience), plus full University of Maryland benefits (as explained at http://ter.ps/q4). The person selected for this position will work on site at START's headquarters on campus at the University of Maryland, College Park, and will report directly to the START Executive Director. Qualified applicants should submit a cover letter and resume via email (with subject line "Research Software Architect") to infostart@start.umd.edu. Please include contact information for two professional references. Applicants will be reviewed until the position is filled. Candidates are encouraged to apply by May 9, 2012 for best consideration. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. The University of Maryland is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer.