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Scientific Programmer

Scientific Programmer

locationCambridge, MA, USA
PublishedPublished: 10/26/2025
Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences?

At the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), we work within and beyond the disciplines of engineering and foundational science to address the most pressing issues of our time. Through teaching and collaborative research, SEAS discovers, designs, and creates novel technologies and approaches to societal challenges – in service to the world, the nation, and our community. We collaborate across academic areas at SEAS and the larger university, and with colleagues in academia, industry, government and public service organizations beyond Harvard. By joining SEAS, you will be part of an inclusive community of dedicated problem-solvers who hold themselves – and one another – to the highest academic and professional standards. To learn more about us, please visit https://seas.harvard.edu/.


Job Description

Job-Summary:

The Scientific Programmer is responsible for development and support of the cloud-based Integrated Methane Inversion (IMI) software to infer greenhouse gas fluxes from satellite observations: https://integratedmethaneinversion.github.io. The Scientific Programmer also handles a variety of assignments within the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group as a member of the GEOS-Chem Support Team. GEOS-Chem is a global transport model of atmospheric chemistry and composition used by hundreds of institutions world-wide and centrally managed at Harvard: https://geoschem.github.io/. The Scientific Programmer incorporates new scientific and technical features submitted by the GEOS-Chem user community into the standard source code repository.

This is a term appointment for six months with the possibility of extension.

Job-Specific Responsibilities:

  • Develop the IMI software and support if for its user community including training of new users.
  • Supporting GEOS-Chem on the AWS cloud.
  • Assisting Harvard post-doctoral fellows and graduate students with their research projects often involving implementing new scientific features into GEOS-Chem, conducting GEOS-Chem simulations, or preparing graphical output.
  • Learn from developer meetings with researchers how to design, plan, and implement software that enriches research productivity and reliability.
  • Maintain aspects of software code and custom data processing pipelines for complex environments.
  • Troubleshoot problems and suggest improvements to coding practices.
  • Grow skills in a specific technology to develop custom solutions to meet researchers needs.
  • Work in a team of developers and researchers in collaboration with systems professionals.
  • Maintain internal code design and development guides for future contributors.
  • Learn to teach workshops for researchers on sustainable software and data management practices.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:

Work is performed in an office setting.


Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

Minimum of two years’ post-secondary education or relevant work experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

  • Bachelor’s or advanced degree in atmospheric science, environmental engineering, or related field required.
  • Strong scientific programming experience required.
  • Experience with cloud-based computing and software management tools, such as git, is desired.

Additional Information
  • Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
  • Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
  • Pre-Employment Screening: Identity, Education
  • Other Information:
    • This is a term appointment for six months, with the possibility of extension.
    • Applicants should submit a resume and cover letter.

Work Format Details

This position is based on-site at a Harvard campus location. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. Certain visa types may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 056. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information.

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to:

  • Generous paid time off including parental leave
  • Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
  • Retirement plans with university contributions
  • Wellbeing and mental health resources
  • Support for families and caregivers
  • Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
  • Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page.

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.