Position Overview:

Khalifa University (KU) seeks a talented Research Engineer (Software Engineer) with extensive experience in software development to support its contribution to the ATLAS experiment at CERN. This role will provide critical support for this strategic collaboration and will focus on the AI/ML techniques with the collider physics as well as Trigger Tool Web and related data management systems. The role combines software engineering, AI/ML development, and research computing infrastructure, contributing to:

• Applying AI/ML techniques to collider physics and high-energy data analysis.
• Updating the ATLAS Trigger Configuration Database (TriggerDB) ecosystem.
• Supporting KU’s strategic initiative to establish itself as a Tier 2 computing center for ATLAS, strengthening regional participation in global scientific computing.

This position bridges academic research, software engineering and large-scale international collaboration. This role contributes directly to the advancement of KU-high-energy physics group through the ATLAS experiment, helping KU to establish itself as a regional leader in data-intensive research. The successful candidate will have opportunities for collaboration with many disciplines and potential visits to CERN and participation in ATLAS workshops, whenever it is needed. The selected candidate is expected to be working closely with KU-ATLAS group and the Research Computing Department.

Position Requirements:

• Integrate AI/ML pipelines for data analysis, anomaly detection, and trigger optimization using frameworks such as Tensorflow, Pytorch, or Scikit-learn.
• Develop, optimize and maintain the web-based Trigger Tool for managing ATLAS trigger configurations.
• Contributing to developing and managing tools supporting the ATLAS Trigger Configuration Database (TriggerDB). In addition, collaborate with CERN developers to integrate new features into the global TriggerDB infrastructure.
• Contribute to distributed data management systems and grid computing workflows supporting ATLAS Tier 2 operations.
• Serve as a link between KU and the ATLAS collaboration at CERN, ensuring smooth collaboration and knowledge exchange.
• Participate in collaboration meetings and code reviews withing ATLAS and CERN development communities.
• Prepare documentation, deployment scripts, and operational guidelines for sustained software used at ATLAS and KU.
• Assist in transitioning academic tools and solutions to production-grade CERN systems.
• Adhere to the University's information security and confidentiality policies and procedures, and report breaches or other security risks accordingly.
• Coordinate with other departments to facilitate the accomplishment of tasks and responsibilities, as and when needed, including Research Computing, KU IT, etc.
• Perform any other tasks assigned by the Line Manager.

Candidate Profile:

Essential Criteria

• Master degree from a reputable university in Computer science, Software Engineering, Physics or a related field.
• Proficiency in Python and web development with Flask and RESTful API.
• Experience with TypeScript and React front-end framework.
• Strong SQL skills and knowledge of database systems (e.g., PostgreSQL or Oracle).
• Proficiency with software lifecycle tools, e.g. GitLab CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes
• Experience in AI and ML frameworks and tools (e.g. Tensorflow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn)
• Familiarity with distributed systems, HPC, or cloud computing (e.g. OpenStack, HTCondoe, SLURM)
• Good presentation skills.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work well both individually and as part of a team.
• Experience of undertaking assigned research tasks and starting to manage own workload.
• Ability to function as part of a team working on multiple tasks with competing demands and deadlines
• Well-developed reasoning and problem-solving skills

Desired Criteria

• Master gained from and/or experience working in a top university.
• Experience contributing to large-scale physics collaborations.
• Prior involvement in scientific data management or Tier 2 computing operations