Outline

In episode 24, we interviewed Simon Hettrick Professor at the University of Southampton in the UK. We started the discussion with him by asking about his transition from deveoppin high-power lasers to founding the research software engineers (RSE) association and how his experiences got him in his current position. We then discussed about the roles of RSE in research and how funding for RSE evolved over the past. The discussion went on about the RSE association, its growth over time, branches in other countries and local events. We discussed that the relation between FLOSS and more sustainable research software is not always clear and more work is needed in that area. After talking with him about the lack of sufficient preparation that students receives during their undergrad studies in regard to the tools needed to tackle research software development we finished with our usual quick questions.

About the Society of Research Software Engineering:

The Society of Research Software Engineering was founded on the belief that a world which relies on software must recognise the people who develop it. Its mission is to establish a research environment that recognises the vital role of software in research

About Simon Hettrick:

Professor Simon Hettrick is Deputy Director of the Software Sustainability Institute, and co-Director of the Southampton Research Software Group.

Simon is responsible for research and campaigning at the Institute. He works with stakeholders from across the research community to develop policies that support research software, the people who develop that software and the researchers who rely on it. Simon’s research focusses on the use of software in the research community with the aim of understanding practices and demographics.

Simon is a passionate advocate for Research Software Engineers. He orchestrated the campaign to gain recognition for this group, which has since grown into substantial international community. He was the founding chair of the UK’s Association of Research Software Engineers and is now a Trustee of the Society of Research Software Engineering. He has been treasurer of the RSE conference since it began in 2016.

Simon is a member of the UKRI expert group on e-Infrastructure. He has a background in physics and patent law.