Software Engineer Intern - Washu IT

Scheduled Hours

40

Position Summary

Assists in application development and integration on our High-Performance Computing (HPC) cluster used by researchers across disciplines. Work closely with research computing staff, software engineers, and faculty to help build, optimize, and support scientific and data-intensive applications on a modern HPC environment.
This role is ideal for a student who enjoys software development, is curious about large-scale computing, and wants hands-on experience enabling real-world research in areas such as computational science, AI/ML, bioinformatics, and data analytics.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Develop, test, and maintain tools, scripts, and services that support research workflows on the HPC cluster (e.g., job submission helpers, workflow automation, monitoring tools).

• Contribute to internal web applications, command-line tools, or APIs that simplify HPC usage for researchers.

• Assist with integrating new research applications and libraries into the cluster environment.

• Follow software engineering best practices including version control, code reviews, issue tracking, and testing.

• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code.

• Help identify and implement improvements to development processes and tooling.

• Configure, build, and test scientific software, libraries, and containerized applications (e.g., Singularity/Apptainer, Docker) for use on the cluster.

• Contribute to performance testing and benchmarking of applications, analyzing results and suggesting improvements.

• Support efforts to improve usability, reliability, and automation within the HPC software stack.

Working Conditions:

Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment

Physical Effort

• Typically sitting at a desk or table

• Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

A diploma, certification or degree is not required.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

No specific work experience is required for this position.

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

WashU seeks highly motivated individuals who are able to perform duties in a manner consistent with our core mission and guiding principles.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

No additional education unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience:

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills:

Analytical Thinking, Artificial Intelligence Algorithms, C++ Programming Language, Communication, Data Analysis, Feature Engineering, Git, Independent Problem Solving, JavaScript, Linux Environments, Machine Learning (ML), Python (Programming Language), PyTorch, scikit-learn, Tensorflow, Web Application Frameworks, Work Collaboratively

Grade

G11-H

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ.

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email[email protected]or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

EEO Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship (where prohibited by federal law), age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.