Principal Research IT Architect

The University of Oklahoma•Oklahoma City, OK

About The Position

Provides strategic leadership, architectural design, operational management, and lifecycle oversight for enterprise high-performance storage and research computing infrastructure supporting compliance-critical research across basic science departments. Develops institutional standards and best practices for performance, cost efficiency, regulatory compliance, cyber resilience, and disaster recovery within HIPAA-regulated and other sensitive research environments. Leads planning within defined scope and collaborates on cross-campus integration of scalable research computing solutions, aligning health system and institutional infrastructure with long-term research priorities. Duties: Develop and execute a strategic roadmap for research computing infrastructure, including GPU-enabled high-performance computing (HPC) environments and enterprise storage systems including an emphasis on regulated biomedical and health sciences research Lead the phased design, procurement, and deployment of computing and storage clusters in coordination with department and college leadership. Establish and maintain architectural standards, operational best practices, and compliance frameworks for research computing environments. Provide strategic guidance for institutional capital planning, investment prioritization, and lifecycle management of research computing assets. Serve as a technical authority on disaster recovery, cyber resilience, and operational continuity for research-critical systems. Oversee ongoing optimization and customization of HPC systems to support diverse research instrumentation, data types, and computational workflows across disciplines including genetics, genomics, structural biology, biochemistry, cell and developmental biology, microbiology, immunology, physiology, and pathology. Advise leadership on infrastructure scalability, interoperability, and long-term integration across campuses and the health system. Partner with central IT, compliance offices, sponsored programs, and departmental stakeholders to ensure alignment of infrastructure strategy and governance. Provide departmental guidance on hardware acquisition planning, resource allocation, and vendor evaluation during procurement processes. Consult with individual faculty on study-specific computing strategies and lead implementation efforts. Contribute to sponsored research initiatives by providing technical and infrastructure leadership. Monitor emerging trends in AI, high-performance computing, storage, and research data management; assess institutional impact and guide adoption strategies. Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline
7 years of experience in HPC system architecture and operations, including the design and management of cost-effective, high-performance storage systems.
Proven programming skills in languages such as C, C++, Rust, Python, R, and Shell
Deep knowledge of high-performance computing and enterprise storage architectures, including GPU-accelerated environments, parallel and distributed file systems, tiered storage strategies, and hybrid cloud integration.
Strong communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
Strong understanding of cybersecurity principles and practices, research data governance, and compliance frameworks, with ability to design secure, resilient, and audit-ready research computing infrastructure
Ability to architect scalable, cost-effective HPC and storage systems from concept through implementation.
Ability to translate complex biomedical research requirements into infrastructure strategy, matching computing environments with diverse scientific workflows and aligned with long-term institutional growths.
Proven ability to collaborate effectively with faculty, research IT, compliance, sponsored programs, and executive leadership, providing strategic guidance on infrastructure investments, procurement decisions, and cross-campus integration.
Ability to exercise independent judgment in methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results.
Ability to work on and resolve significant and unique issues where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangibles.

Nice To Haves

10+ years of experience in HPC system architecture and operations, including the design and management of cost-effective, high-performance and highly secure storage systems.
10+ years of experience working in data-intense biomedical research environment, supporting diverse basic, translational, and clinical science studies.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a strategic roadmap for research computing infrastructure, including GPU-enabled high-performance computing (HPC) environments and enterprise storage systems including an emphasis on regulated biomedical and health sciences research
Lead the phased design, procurement, and deployment of computing and storage clusters in coordination with department and college leadership.
Establish and maintain architectural standards, operational best practices, and compliance frameworks for research computing environments.
Provide strategic guidance for institutional capital planning, investment prioritization, and lifecycle management of research computing assets.
Serve as a technical authority on disaster recovery, cyber resilience, and operational continuity for research-critical systems.
Oversee ongoing optimization and customization of HPC systems to support diverse research instrumentation, data types, and computational workflows across disciplines including genetics, genomics, structural biology, biochemistry, cell and developmental biology, microbiology, immunology, physiology, and pathology.
Advise leadership on infrastructure scalability, interoperability, and long-term integration across campuses and the health system.
Partner with central IT, compliance offices, sponsored programs, and departmental stakeholders to ensure alignment of infrastructure strategy and governance.
Provide departmental guidance on hardware acquisition planning, resource allocation, and vendor evaluation during procurement processes.
Consult with individual faculty on study-specific computing strategies and lead implementation efforts.
Contribute to sponsored research initiatives by providing technical and infrastructure leadership.
Monitor emerging trends in AI, high-performance computing, storage, and research data management; assess institutional impact and guide adoption strategies.
Perform other duties as assigned