Application Guide

How to Apply for Software Engineer / Research Software Developer (two openings)

at Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science

🏢 About Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science

CUAHSI is unique as a non-profit consortium dedicated specifically to advancing hydrologic science through open, reproducible research infrastructure. Unlike typical tech companies, it directly supports academic and federal water science communities by building shared tools that enable scientific discovery. Working here means contributing to meaningful environmental science while practicing modern software engineering in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.

About This Role

This role involves maintaining and evolving HydroShare, CUAHSI's open-source platform for sharing hydrologic data, models, and code. You'll be building REST APIs, backend services, and interactive tools that directly enable scientists to publish, discover, and collaborate on water research. Your work will have tangible impact on advancing reproducible hydrologic science through cloud-based infrastructure and open-source contributions.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve collaborating with hydrologic scientists to prototype new data discovery features, improving REST API endpoints for HydroShare, and deploying containerized services to the cloud. You'll likely spend time reviewing pull requests from the open-source community, writing tests for backend services, and participating in discussions about metadata standards and scientific workflow improvements.

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science Is Looking For

  • Has strong Python skills and experience with modern web frameworks, specifically for building REST APIs and backend services that handle scientific data
  • Demonstrates experience with containerization (Docker), cloud deployments (AWS/Azure/GCP), and infrastructure-as-code practices in a production environment
  • Shows genuine interest in or experience with scientific data workflows, metadata standards, or research software development
  • Has contributed to structured, multi-author open-source projects and values disciplined engineering practices like testing and documentation

📝 Tips for Applying to Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science

1

Highlight specific experience with scientific data platforms or research software, even if from academic projects or open-source contributions

2

Demonstrate your understanding of HydroShare by referencing specific features or capabilities from their platform in your application

3

Showcase Python projects involving REST APIs, backend services, or data processing that align with hydrologic/science use cases

4

Include examples of working in collaborative, multi-author codebases and your approach to documentation and testing

5

Mention any experience with cloud deployment for scientific applications or infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your experience with Python web development and REST APIs in scientific or data-intensive contexts', 'Specific examples of contributing to collaborative, open-source projects and your approach to software engineering practices', "Why you're drawn to supporting hydrologic science and reproducible research through software infrastructure", 'How your cloud deployment and containerization experience aligns with maintaining production systems like HydroShare']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Explore HydroShare's public repository and documentation to understand the platform's architecture and features
  • → Review CUAHSI's mission and recent projects to understand their role in the hydrologic science community
  • → Investigate the types of data and models shared through HydroShare to understand user needs
  • → Look into CUAHSI's partnerships with universities and federal agencies to understand their collaborative ecosystem
Visit Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Technical discussion about designing REST APIs for scientific data access and metadata management
2 Experience with Docker/containerization and cloud deployment strategies for research applications
3 Approach to collaborating with scientists or domain experts on software requirements and feature development
4 Contributions to open-source projects and experience with multi-author codebases and documentation
5 Problem-solving scenarios related to scaling scientific data platforms or improving data publishing workflows
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on commercial software experience without showing interest in scientific/research applications
  • Presenting as purely a solo developer without examples of collaborative coding or open-source contributions
  • Applying generic cloud experience without connecting it to scientific data platforms or research infrastructure needs

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science!

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