AI Research Software Consultant
About the role
AI RESEARCH SOFTWARE CONSULTANT (CONTRACT)
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) serves Canadian researchers, with the objective of advancing Canada’s position as a leader in the knowledge economy on the international stage. By integrating, championing and funding the infrastructure and activities required for advanced research computing (ARC), research data management (RDM), and research software (RS), we provide the platform for the research community to access tools and services faster than ever before.
We have an ambitious mandate – to transform how research across all academic disciplines is organized, managed, stored and used. We work with other ecosystem partners and stakeholders across the country to help provide Canadian researchers with the support they need for leading-edge research excellence, research, innovation and advancement across all disciplines.
POSITION SUMMARY
The AI Research Software Consultant provides software development, and research computing expertise to researchers seeking to apply artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and advanced computational methods to their research. As part of the Alliance’s national Research Software Services program, the role works directly with research teams to design, develop, and optimize software solutions that accelerate research outcomes and enable effective use of digital research infrastructure.
Acting as a trusted technical advisor, the AI Research Software Consultant is embedded with research teams. The position collaborates with researchers to understand project objectives, assess technical requirements, and implement scalable, maintainable, and reproducible software solutions. The role applies expertise in AI/ML, research software engineering, high-performance computing (HPC), cloud technologies and modern software practices to support a diverse range of research projects across Canadian institutions.
Reporting to the Research Software Services (AI) Lead, the position works closely with researchers, research software professionals, infrastructure teams, and external collaborators to deliver high-quality consulting services and technical solutions. Operating in a collaborative, multi-stakeholder environment, the role requires strong technical expertise, sound judgment, effective communication skills, and a commitment to research excellence and service delivery.
This is a contract position with a term of up to March 31, 2028.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Research Consulting and Stakeholder Engagement Collaborate with researchers, research groups, and institutional stakeholders to understand scientific objectives, technical challenges, and project requirements. Conduct consultations, needs assessments, and project discovery activities to assess opportunities for AI, machine learning, and advanced software solutions. Define project scope, deliverables, milestones, timelines, and success criteria in collaboration with research teams. Provide technical recommendations that align research objectives with available technologies, resources, and operational constraints. Facilitate discussions and decision-making among stakeholders with differing priorities, expectations, and technical perspectives.
AI Solution Design and Research Software Development Design, develop, test, and deploy AI, machine learning, and research software solutions, from data preparation and modeling to deployment. Build, train and evaluate machine learning models using appropriate methods, tools and performance metrics. Contribute to software architecture, technical design, coding, documentation, testing, and performance optimization activities. Evaluate and apply appropriate algorithms, frameworks, and computational approaches to address research challenges. Adapt applications to leverage parallel computing, GPU acceleration, containerization, workflow automation, and efficient data management practices where appropriate.
MLOps, Reproducibility, and Software Quality Development
Promote and apply MLOps and research software engineering best practices including version control, testing, documentation, code review, continuous integration, containerization, and reproducible workflows. Ensure solutions are designed to support reproducibility, sustainability, security, reliability and long-term maintainability. Support responsible and ethical deployment of AI solutions, including appropriate consideration of model bias, fairness, alignment and model performance monitoring. Provide guidance on model versioning, monitoring and operational practices that improve software quality, sustainability and service effectiveness.
Training, Mentorship, and Knowledge Sharing Provide one-on-one mentoring and technical coaching to researchers, students, and research staff. Develop technical documentation and knowledge resources that support adoption of software tools, methodologies, and best practices. Share expertise and lessons learned across the Alliance research software community. Contribute to the development of technical capabilities within research teams and the broader research ecosystem.
Technical Leadership and Innovation Monitor developments in AI, machine learning, scientific computing, and research software engineering to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement to support evolving researcher needs. Provide technical leadership within consulting engagements by coordinating activities, establishing technical approaches, and promoting best practices. Mentor colleagues and contribute to a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, innovation, and technical excellence.
Service Development and Community Engagement Develop case studies, technical examples, and success stories that demonstrate the impact of supported projects. Support outreach and engagement activities that promote awareness and adoption of Alliance research software services. Foster collaborative relationships with researchers, institutions, and ecosystem partners.
QUALIFICATIONS Post-secondary degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computational Science, Data Science, or a related discipline; a master’s degree or PhD in a relevant discipline is considered an asset. Minimum of 7 years of progressive software development experience, with experience applying those skills in research computing, scientific computing, research software engineering, AI/ML, or related technical environments. Hands-on experience developing and implementing AI and machine learning solutions within research, scientific, or data-intensive environments. Advanced programming skills in Python or additional programming languages relevant to scientific software development. Experience with AI and machine learning frameworks and tools. Familiarity with any of PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, Scikit-learn, Hugging Face or comparable technologies is considered an asset. Strong knowledge of software engineering principles and best practices, including version control, testing, continuous integration/continuous deployment, and/or software lifecycle management. Experience working with large or complex datasets, including data collection, cleaning, preprocessing, and feature engineering. Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions, negotiate project requirements, and build consensus among stakeholders with diverse perspectives. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences. Demonstrated ability to analyze complex technical problems, evaluate alternative approaches, and develop practical solutions that balance performance, quality, timelines, and resource constraints. Demonstrated ability to mentor researchers, students, colleagues, or junior technical staff. Demonstrated experience supporting academic research, scientific computing, or computational research environments is considered an asset. Experience with containerization technologies, workflow automation, reproducible research practices, and modern software development environments is considered an asset. Experience working with high-performance computing environments, cloud computing platforms, distributed systems, GPU acceleration, parallel computing technologies, or equivalent computational platforms is considered an asset. Experience fine-tuning or training AI models using multi-GPU, cluster/HPC environments) to scale model development and optimization is considered an asset. Knowledge of research software engineering practices, open science principles, FAIR and FAIR4RS principles, or digital research infrastructure environments is considered an asset. Research publications or open-source projects in the AI space are considered an asset. Experience with one or more generative AI technologies such as prompt engineering, transformer-based architectures is considered an asset.
The Alliance is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within the community and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women, members of racialized groups, people of colour, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ identified people.
The expected salary range for this position for candidates residing in Canada is between $96,000 CAD - $144,000 CAD. Placement within this range will be determined based on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, demonstrated performance, overall alignment with the requirements of the role, and internal equity considerations, and other relevant organizational factors. The range reflects the Alliance’s commitment to equitable pay practices and to ensuring fair compensation for all employees.
Please apply here: Careers at the Alliance!
Not the right fit? Search for AI Research Software Consultant jobs in Canada
About Digital Research Alliance of Canada | Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada
Accelerating Canada’s Research Future
As a trusted and inclusive partner, the Digital Research Alliance of Canada fosters pan-Canadian and global collaboration to provide researcher-centric, sustainable and integrated digital research infrastructure. We have a passion to collaboratively support our brilliant research community as they ask questions, gain understanding, accelerate discovery and transform how we live in our world.
Accélérer l’avenir de la recherche au Canada
En tant que partenaire inclusif et digne de confiance, l'Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada favorise une collaboration pancanadienne et mondiale, afin de fournir une infrastructure de recherche numérique durable et intégrée.
Notre passion est de soutenir
notre brillante communauté de chercheuses et chercheurs alors qu’ils posent les bonnes questions, approfondissent la compréhension, propulsent les découvertes et transforment la façon dont nous vivons.
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AI Research Software Consultant
About the role
AI RESEARCH SOFTWARE CONSULTANT (CONTRACT)
ABOUT THE ALLIANCE The Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance) serves Canadian researchers, with the objective of advancing Canada’s position as a leader in the knowledge economy on the international stage. By integrating, championing and funding the infrastructure and activities required for advanced research computing (ARC), research data management (RDM), and research software (RS), we provide the platform for the research community to access tools and services faster than ever before.
We have an ambitious mandate – to transform how research across all academic disciplines is organized, managed, stored and used. We work with other ecosystem partners and stakeholders across the country to help provide Canadian researchers with the support they need for leading-edge research excellence, research, innovation and advancement across all disciplines.
POSITION SUMMARY
The AI Research Software Consultant provides software development, and research computing expertise to researchers seeking to apply artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and advanced computational methods to their research. As part of the Alliance’s national Research Software Services program, the role works directly with research teams to design, develop, and optimize software solutions that accelerate research outcomes and enable effective use of digital research infrastructure.
Acting as a trusted technical advisor, the AI Research Software Consultant is embedded with research teams. The position collaborates with researchers to understand project objectives, assess technical requirements, and implement scalable, maintainable, and reproducible software solutions. The role applies expertise in AI/ML, research software engineering, high-performance computing (HPC), cloud technologies and modern software practices to support a diverse range of research projects across Canadian institutions.
Reporting to the Research Software Services (AI) Lead, the position works closely with researchers, research software professionals, infrastructure teams, and external collaborators to deliver high-quality consulting services and technical solutions. Operating in a collaborative, multi-stakeholder environment, the role requires strong technical expertise, sound judgment, effective communication skills, and a commitment to research excellence and service delivery.
This is a contract position with a term of up to March 31, 2028.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Research Consulting and Stakeholder Engagement Collaborate with researchers, research groups, and institutional stakeholders to understand scientific objectives, technical challenges, and project requirements. Conduct consultations, needs assessments, and project discovery activities to assess opportunities for AI, machine learning, and advanced software solutions. Define project scope, deliverables, milestones, timelines, and success criteria in collaboration with research teams. Provide technical recommendations that align research objectives with available technologies, resources, and operational constraints. Facilitate discussions and decision-making among stakeholders with differing priorities, expectations, and technical perspectives.
AI Solution Design and Research Software Development Design, develop, test, and deploy AI, machine learning, and research software solutions, from data preparation and modeling to deployment. Build, train and evaluate machine learning models using appropriate methods, tools and performance metrics. Contribute to software architecture, technical design, coding, documentation, testing, and performance optimization activities. Evaluate and apply appropriate algorithms, frameworks, and computational approaches to address research challenges. Adapt applications to leverage parallel computing, GPU acceleration, containerization, workflow automation, and efficient data management practices where appropriate.
MLOps, Reproducibility, and Software Quality Development
Promote and apply MLOps and research software engineering best practices including version control, testing, documentation, code review, continuous integration, containerization, and reproducible workflows. Ensure solutions are designed to support reproducibility, sustainability, security, reliability and long-term maintainability. Support responsible and ethical deployment of AI solutions, including appropriate consideration of model bias, fairness, alignment and model performance monitoring. Provide guidance on model versioning, monitoring and operational practices that improve software quality, sustainability and service effectiveness.
Training, Mentorship, and Knowledge Sharing Provide one-on-one mentoring and technical coaching to researchers, students, and research staff. Develop technical documentation and knowledge resources that support adoption of software tools, methodologies, and best practices. Share expertise and lessons learned across the Alliance research software community. Contribute to the development of technical capabilities within research teams and the broader research ecosystem.
Technical Leadership and Innovation Monitor developments in AI, machine learning, scientific computing, and research software engineering to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement to support evolving researcher needs. Provide technical leadership within consulting engagements by coordinating activities, establishing technical approaches, and promoting best practices. Mentor colleagues and contribute to a culture of collaboration, continuous learning, innovation, and technical excellence.
Service Development and Community Engagement Develop case studies, technical examples, and success stories that demonstrate the impact of supported projects. Support outreach and engagement activities that promote awareness and adoption of Alliance research software services. Foster collaborative relationships with researchers, institutions, and ecosystem partners.
QUALIFICATIONS Post-secondary degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computational Science, Data Science, or a related discipline; a master’s degree or PhD in a relevant discipline is considered an asset. Minimum of 7 years of progressive software development experience, with experience applying those skills in research computing, scientific computing, research software engineering, AI/ML, or related technical environments. Hands-on experience developing and implementing AI and machine learning solutions within research, scientific, or data-intensive environments. Advanced programming skills in Python or additional programming languages relevant to scientific software development. Experience with AI and machine learning frameworks and tools. Familiarity with any of PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, Scikit-learn, Hugging Face or comparable technologies is considered an asset. Strong knowledge of software engineering principles and best practices, including version control, testing, continuous integration/continuous deployment, and/or software lifecycle management. Experience working with large or complex datasets, including data collection, cleaning, preprocessing, and feature engineering. Demonstrated ability to influence technical decisions, negotiate project requirements, and build consensus among stakeholders with diverse perspectives. Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences. Demonstrated ability to analyze complex technical problems, evaluate alternative approaches, and develop practical solutions that balance performance, quality, timelines, and resource constraints. Demonstrated ability to mentor researchers, students, colleagues, or junior technical staff. Demonstrated experience supporting academic research, scientific computing, or computational research environments is considered an asset. Experience with containerization technologies, workflow automation, reproducible research practices, and modern software development environments is considered an asset. Experience working with high-performance computing environments, cloud computing platforms, distributed systems, GPU acceleration, parallel computing technologies, or equivalent computational platforms is considered an asset. Experience fine-tuning or training AI models using multi-GPU, cluster/HPC environments) to scale model development and optimization is considered an asset. Knowledge of research software engineering practices, open science principles, FAIR and FAIR4RS principles, or digital research infrastructure environments is considered an asset. Research publications or open-source projects in the AI space are considered an asset. Experience with one or more generative AI technologies such as prompt engineering, transformer-based architectures is considered an asset.
The Alliance is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within the community and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women, members of racialized groups, people of colour, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ identified people.
The expected salary range for this position for candidates residing in Canada is between $96,000 CAD - $144,000 CAD. Placement within this range will be determined based on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, experience, demonstrated performance, overall alignment with the requirements of the role, and internal equity considerations, and other relevant organizational factors. The range reflects the Alliance’s commitment to equitable pay practices and to ensuring fair compensation for all employees.
Please apply here: Careers at the Alliance!
Not the right fit? Search for AI Research Software Consultant jobs in Canada
About Digital Research Alliance of Canada | Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada
Accelerating Canada’s Research Future
As a trusted and inclusive partner, the Digital Research Alliance of Canada fosters pan-Canadian and global collaboration to provide researcher-centric, sustainable and integrated digital research infrastructure. We have a passion to collaboratively support our brilliant research community as they ask questions, gain understanding, accelerate discovery and transform how we live in our world.
Accélérer l’avenir de la recherche au Canada
En tant que partenaire inclusif et digne de confiance, l'Alliance de recherche numérique du Canada favorise une collaboration pancanadienne et mondiale, afin de fournir une infrastructure de recherche numérique durable et intégrée.
Notre passion est de soutenir
notre brillante communauté de chercheuses et chercheurs alors qu’ils posent les bonnes questions, approfondissent la compréhension, propulsent les découvertes et transforment la façon dont nous vivons.