Challenges faced by RSEs#
This is a community book to document the challenges faced by Research Software Engineers (RSEs) and the work being done to overcome them. The book is a collaborative effort by the RSE community and is open to contributions from anyone.
Research Software Engineers (RSEs) face a number of challenges in their work. These challenges can be broadly categorised into these areas: personal, technical, social, and organisational. This directory provides an overview of these challenges and the work that is being done to address them. The scope of this directory is to provide a high-level overview of the challenges faced by RSEs. Each page in this directory will focus on a specific challenge, providing evidence of the problem, objectives and milestones for overcoming the challenge, past work towards overcoming the challenge, current active projects and initiatives, and resources. Specific problems such as “how to setup a Python environment” are considered out of scope for this directory.
Personal#
Mental Health: RSEs may experience high levels of stress and anxiety due to the demands of their work. This can have a negative impact on their mental health and well-being.
Organisational Challenges#
Funding: RSEs often struggle to secure funding for their work. This can be due to a lack of awareness of the role of RSEs, or a lack of funding opportunities specifically targeted at RSEs.
Careers: RSEs may find it difficult to progress in their careers, as the role of RSE is not always well-defined within academic institutions. This can make it difficult for RSEs to advance to more senior positions or to secure permanent contracts.
Project Management: RSEs often need to manage multiple projects simultaneously, which can be challenging. This can lead to issues with prioritisation, time management, and workload management.
Training: RSEs may struggle to identify the most appropriate training opportunities for their role. This links to the ambiguity of the RSE role and the lack of a clear career path. This can also result in issues of skills shortages.
Recruitment to RSE: RSEs may find it difficult to attract new talent to the field, as the role of RSE is not always well-understood or recognised. This can make it difficult to recruit new staff or to build a diverse team.
Technical Challenges#
Maintaining Legacy Code: RSEs often need to work with legacy code, which can be challenging. This can be due to a lack of documentation, a lack of understanding of the codebase, or a lack of support from the original developers. This is particularly challenging when the original developers may have had limited experience in software development.
Best Practice Software Development: RSEs may struggle to implement best practices in software development, due to a lack of training or experience in this area. This can lead to issues with code quality, maintainability, and scalability. This is a particular challenge when working with researchers who may not have a background in software development.
Green RSE: The environmental impact of RSEs through their work is a growing concern. RSEs need to consider the environmental impact of their work and adopt sustainable practices where possible.
Working with non technical teams: RSEs need to be able to communicate effectively with researchers, who may not have a technical background. This can be challenging, as researchers may not understand the work that RSEs do, or may not appreciate the value that RSEs bring to a project.
Social challenges#
Inclusivity and Diversity: The RSE community faces challenges of inclusivity and diversity. This can be due to a lack of awareness of the role of RSEs, or a lack of opportunities for underrepresented groups to enter the field.
Recognition: RSEs often struggle to get recognition for their work. This can be due to a lack of understanding of the role of RSEs, or a lack of visibility of their contributions. RSEs may also find it difficult to get credit for their work, as they are often not listed as authors on academic papers.
Isolation: RSEs can feel isolated in their work, as they may be the only person in their department or research group with their skill set. This can make it difficult to find support or collaborate with others.