The University of Prince Edward Island and ACENET seeks a Research Consultant at the UPEI campus in Charlottetown, PEI, to assist researchers in using and navigating the advanced computing resources available at ACENET and Compute Canada.

This is a user support position which reports formally to the Vice President Academic and Research, with direct functional reporting to ACENET’s Chief Technology Officer.  This position requires a motivated self-starter and relationship-builder who will be responsible for supporting the ACENET research community at UPEI, with duties extending throughout Atlantic Canada, and nationally. The successful candidate will work as part of a distributed team serving a broad community of researchers across a wide range of research disciplines.

About ACENET

ACENET is a consortium of post-secondary institutions in Atlantic Canada providing researchers with advanced computing resources, tools, software, training, and support.  We help our clients use Advanced Computing as a means of accelerating discovery and innovation, keeping Atlantic Canada at the forefront of scientific research.

ACENET is a partner consortium in Compute Canada, the organization responsible for advanced research computing in Canada.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Consult with researchers to provide support and expertise in Advanced Computing and High Performance Computing. Topics of consultation could include parallel programming, code optimization, cloud computing, GPU programming, use of job queuing systems, and data management
• Assist researchers, both new and experienced, in all aspects of using Compute Canada resources, from small problems to big
• Develop and deliver training, workshops, seminars and information sessions around Advanced Computing technologies, approaches, and methodologies
• Maintain relationships with research groups to ensure ACENET is meeting their current needs and is preparing for their future needs
• Work within ACENET’s ticketing system to ensure user support issues are addressed in a timely manner
• Evaluate and recommend new technologies, services, and software tools
• Work with a dispersed technical team to continuously improve ACENET’s service delivery
• Participate in relevant national committees, working groups, and research support activities
• Undertake other duties as required

QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate will have a graduate degree in a scientific or related discipline and several years of computational research experience with significant programming skills. The incumbent must have excellent communication, planning, and time management skills with a strong client-focused work ethic.

Consideration will be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Any of the following skills or experience will be considered an asset:

• Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, TensorFlow
• GPU computing: CUDA, OpenACC, or OpenCL
• Experience programming in R
• Parallel computing
• Experience e preparing and delivering tutorials, workshops, lectures and seminars
• Past use of HPC architectures, technologies, and environments
• Broad knowledge and demonstrated experience in several programming languages
• Ability to develop, program, and query databases
• Experience in an academic research environment

In order to assess potential synergies with our research communities, candidates should highlight any experience in computational fluid dynamics, big data and data analytics, geomatics, scientific visualization, and specific scientific software packages (Gaussian, ANSYS, Gromacs, Matlab, etc.)

We hope to attract a quick and independent learner, with an enthusiasm to invest time and effort in their professional training and skill development.