Research Software Developer
About The Position
The candidate will be contributing to the development and maintenance of LORIS, a web-based data management software designed at the McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (MCIN). Specifically, they will work on the Clinical, biospecimen, imaging and genetic (C-BIG) repository LORIS platform, which provides multimodal informatics infrastructure for curated health data with open access. The C-BIG Repository contains biological samples, clinical information, imaging, and genetic data from patients with neurological disease and healthy controls. Reporting to the Senior Research Software Developer, the candidate will support the design, development, testing, and maintenance of tools and pipelines on the LORIS platform. This includes building automated importers for diverse data types (clinical, imaging, behavioral) from various research groups. Responsibilities encompass implementing new features, enhancing existing functionality, bug tracking and resolution, user support, and maintaining both frontend and backend components. The developer will also contribute to documentation and ensure data integrity and standardization in line with FAIR and open science principles.
Requirements
- University degree or related work experience in computer science, neuroscience or related field.
- Experience with neuroimaging data processing.
- Strong understanding of database systems, software development, and research infrastructure.
- Excellent organizational, communication, and leadership skills.
- Research or industry experience with relational database systems (SQL).
- Expertise with web development (PHP, JavaScript/JQuery, Bootstrap, Apache).
- Experience with Unix/Linux operating systems.
- Experience with version control systems (e.g. git, svn) and team-based development methodologies.
- Strong programming skills and understanding of modern languages (Python, Perl).
- Knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap and W3C standards.
- Familiarity with academic research environments.
- Experience using and developing REST APIs.
- Authorized to work in Canada.
- Willing to work in the province of Quebec.
- English communication skills (verbal and written) at level 4 on a scale of 0-4.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with non-relational database systems is an asset (NoSQL).
- Experience computing on large datasets is an asset.
Responsibilities
- Assist in defining the technical roadmap and delivering initiatives that support the strategic direction of software systems for the C-BIG Repository.
- Design, develop, test and maintain research software applications, databases, APIs, and user interfaces for C-BIG data management.
- Develop and support secure workflows for data ingestion, transformation, harmonization, and integration across multiple data sources and formats.
- Implement data quality validation frameworks and automated pipelines to ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency of repository data.
- Collaborate with researchers, analysts, and operational staff to gather requirements, define system specifications, and deliver software solutions aligned with research objectives.
- Maintain and optimize database systems and data storage infrastructure to support large-scale repository operations, including high-volume imaging and genetic datasets.
- Develop and maintain interoperability with external systems, tools, and standards (e.g., REDCap, LIMS, DICOM/PACS, BIDS, OMOP, HL7/FHIR, genomic variant formats).
- Support secure data access mechanisms including authentication, authorization, audit logging, role-based access controls, and data request workflows.
- Implement and maintain version control, CI/CD practices, code review standards, and software lifecycle management processes to support sustainable development.
- Troubleshoot system issues, perform debugging, apply patches, and resolve operational incidents to ensure repository platform stability and availability.
- Prepare and maintain technical documentation, user guides, system architecture diagrams, and standard operating procedures.
- Ensure software development practices comply with institutional policies, privacy legislation, ethics board requirements, and data governance frameworks.
- Evaluate emerging technologies and research computing tools, recommending improvements to repository systems, workflows, and infrastructure.
- Provide training, support, and technical guidance to repository users, research teams, students, and collaborators.
- Contribute to project planning activities including effort estimation, timeline development, milestone tracking, and reporting on progress to leadership.
Benefits
- Competitive benefits package (Health, Dental, Life Insurance) (if eligible)
- Defined contribution pension plan (with employer contribution up to 10%) (if eligible)
- Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA)
- Competitive vacation policy
- Two (2) personal days
- Two (2) floating holidays
- Nine (9) "Summer Fridays" - paid days off between the St-Jean Baptiste holiday and Labour Day
- Paid time off over the December holiday period
- Tuition waiver for regular employees and their dependents
- Up to two (2) days of remote work per week where the position permits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
