Computing Engineer

Company Description:
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern.

Job Description/Introduction:
At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on http://home.cern .

The next decade will witness a substantial surge in data generation, sharing, and processing within frontier research, necessitating extensive data infrastructure and computational capabilities. In particular, the research communities of High Energy Physics and Radio Astronomy are gearing up to introduce groundbreaking instruments, demanding infrastructures several orders of magnitude larger than what's currently available, entering the Exascale era. With a consortium composed of leading European science organisations in High Energy Physics and Radio Astronomy, and leading e-Infrastructure providers covering HTC, HPC, Cloud and Quantum technologies, the project will work to pave the way towards data-intensive scientific collaborations with access to a federated European Exabyte-scale research data federation and compute continuum and deliver a Strategic Research, Innovation and Deployment Agenda and a Technical Blueprint.

Functions:
You will be working in the EU-funded research project SPECTRUM.

In particular, your work will entail:
- Collecting and analysing requirements of science communities use cases;
- Interacting with representative science communities to analyse requirements needed for large-scale distributed AI workflows on High Performance Computing systems;
- Writing of advanced technical reports and roadmap documents;
- Providing expert advice on large-scale AI workflows and their use on HPC systems;
- Contributing to the coordination and supervision of students and/or fellows in the project;
- Sharing knowledge and expertise via oral presentations at conferences and workshops.

Qualifications:
Master's degree or equivalent relevant experience in the field of Computer Science, Machine Learning, High Performance Computing or a related field.

Experience:

The successful candidate should have:
- Proven experience using large supercomputing centres in Europe;
- Previous participation in, and experience writing technical reports for, EU research projects;
- Proven experience operating and optimising large-scale distributed AI training workflows;
- Proven experience carrying out large-scale distributed AI workflows such as distributed hyperparameter optimization;
- Experience using a variety of different hardware accelerators for AI workflows;
- Some experience using Quantum Computers would be an advantage;
- Experience as Task Leader in EU research projects would be beneficial.

Technical competencies:
- Knowledge of programming techniques and languages: python programming is required;
- Simulation, design, development, and optimization of deep learning algorithms making use of hardware acceleration platforms;
- Competent in modern deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow and PyTorch;
- Competent in job scheduling systems such as SLURM and software tools such as git, Apptainer/Singularity and Docker;
- Understanding of modern High Performance Computing systems.

Behavioural competencies:
- Solving Problems: identifying, defining and assessing problems, taking action to address them Producing workable and timely solutions that meet requirements;
- Achieving Results: having a structured and organised approach towards work; being able to set priorities and plan tasks with results in mind Delivering high quality work on time and fulfilling expectations;
- Working in Teams: working well in groups and readily fitting into a team; participating fully and taking an active role in team activities;
- Communicating Effectively: delivering presentations in a structured and clear way; adjusting style and content to the audience; responding calmly and confidently to questions Ensuring that information, procedures and decisions are appropriately documented;
- Learning and Sharing Knowledge: keeping up-to-date with developments in own field of expertise and readily absorbing new information Sharing knowledge and expertise freely and willingly with others; coaching others to ensure knowledge transfer.

Language skills:

Spoken and written English: ability to understand and speak the other language in professional contexts. Ability to draw-up technical specifications and/or scientific reports and to make oral presentations.

Additional Information/Eligibility and closing date:

Diversity, https://diversity-and-inclusion.web.cern.ch/, has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization. Employing a diverse workforce is central to our success. We welcome applications from all Member States and Associate Member States, https://home.cern/about/who-we-are/our-governance/member-states.

This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible, and applications should normally reach us no later than 11.02.2024.

Employment Conditions:
Contract type: Limited duration contract (2 years). Subject to certain conditions, holders of limited-duration contracts may apply for an indefinite position.