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The US Research Software Engineer Association (US-RSE) is the national professional community for individuals who develop and maintain research software in the United States. As computational workflows and data pipelines underpin scientific discovery, rigorous software engineering in research has emerged as an essential discipline. US-RSE provides the peer network, professional advocacy, and career development resources necessary to support research software practitioners.
What Is US-RSE?
The US-RSE Association focuses on individuals who apply software development expertise to scientific and scholarly research. The organization defines research software engineers inclusively: anyone who regularly writes or manages software to advance research. This umbrella covers full-time software developers in research institutions, computational researchers and postdocs who primarily write code, HPC technical staff, and faculty directing computational research teams.
Formed around 2018 with roughly 20 members, US-RSE grew to more than 3,000 individual members by 2024. The organization addresses a persistent structural issue in research computing: software specialists often lack defined career tracks, stable institutional funding, and professional standing equivalent to tenure-line scholars. US-RSE organizes collective advocacy and community channels to address these institutional barriers.
Who Runs US-RSE and What It Covers
US-RSE is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives (CI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in California. Community Initiatives provides institutional fiscal sponsorship, delivering non-profit tax status, bookkeeping, accounting, legal services, and human resources support. Prior to early 2023, the association was sponsored by the Open Collective Foundation (OCF).
An elected Steering Committee of active community members directs organizational policy and strategy, with elections held annually. US-RSE structures its work around four mission pillars:
- Community: Connecting practitioners across institutions to share technical knowledge, tools, and professional support.
- Advocacy: Raising institutional awareness of research software impact and promoting stable job titles under the research software engineer role definition.
- Resources: Publishing practical materials to help establish and expand campus RSE groups, including business cases, survey data, and hiring frameworks.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Fostering equitable representation across demographic groups through dedicated committees and community activities.
On October 1, 2024, US-RSE introduced an organizational membership pilot. Institutions joining as Founding Members by June 30, 2026 receive founding recognition in perpetuity, with annual rates locked through December 31, 2028.
Annual Conferences and US-RSE 2026
The US-RSE Annual Conference is the central in-person gathering for research software engineers in the United States. Each conference features peer-reviewed papers, notebook presentations, rapid microtalks, and Birds of a Feather (BoF) discussions. Early editions attracted between 250 and 286 attendees.
| Conference | Dates | Location | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| US-RSE’23 | October 16–18, 2023 | Chicago, IL | Software-enabled Discovery and Beyond |
| US-RSE’24 | October 15–17, 2024 | Albuquerque, NM | Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow |
| USRSE’25 | October 6–8, 2025 | Philadelphia, PA | Code, Practices, and People |
| USRSE’26 | October 19–21, 2026 | San Jose, CA | Advancing Science in the Age of AI |
| USRSE’27 | October 25–27, 2027 | Ann Arbor, MI | From Code to Impact |
The US-RSE 2026 conference in San Jose, California examines the role of research software engineering in the era of artificial intelligence. Sessions address automated code generation, reproducible AI pipelines, and specialized computing hardware across research domains.
How to Join US-RSE and Access Its Resources
Joining the association provides direct access to national peer channels and professional development initiatives. Researchers and software engineers can access US-RSE through these steps:
- Complete the Member Registration: Sign up for individual membership on us-rse.org. Individual membership is free and open to all supporters of the mission.
- Join the Community Slack: Access the US-RSE Slack workspace, which serves as the primary daily discussion forum with dedicated topical channels.
- Subscribe to Newsletters: Receive regular updates on webinars, training events, career opportunities, and leadership elections.
- Join Active Working Groups: Participate in community groups such as Code Review (
#wg-code-review), Education & Training (#wg-education_training), or the RSE Group Leaders’ Network (#wg-rse-gln). - Attend Monthly Community Calls: Join monthly virtual meetings featuring lightning presentations, invited talks, and themed breakout discussions.
- Access Career Guides: Consult community deliverables, such as the Career Guidebook created with the Academic Data Science Alliance and guides for standardizing citation management software workflows.
Strengths and Limits of the Association
US-RSE offers significant institutional value alongside recognized organizational boundaries:
- Strengths:
- Free Individual Membership: Removes financial barriers for early-career researchers and unsupported staff.
- Community Networking: Reduces isolation for solo software developers embedded within academic research labs.
- Institutional Resources: Offers published guidelines, salary survey insights, and recruitment templates for university administrators.
- Limits:
- Non-Accrediting Organization: US-RSE does not grant software engineering credentials or professional licenses.
- Volunteer Operations: Working group operations and governance depend largely on volunteer service from active community members.
- US Institutional Orientation: Policy initiatives and conferences primarily target the United States scientific funding landscape.
International Sister Associations
US-RSE coordinates with national RSE organizations worldwide through the International Council of RSE Associations. These groups share practices for sustainable software and open-source research data platforms.
| Association | Region | Website | Community Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| US-RSE | United States | us-rse.org | US universities, national laboratories, and research institutions |
| SocRSE | United Kingdom | society-rse.org | Pioneering national society and annual UK conference |
| de-RSE | Germany | de-rse.org | Society for research software in German academic institutions |
| NL-RSE | Netherlands | nl-rse.org | Dutch research software engineering community and workshops |
| NORDIC-RSE | Nordic Countries | nordic-rse.org | Regional association across Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden |
| RSE-AUNZ | Australia & New Zealand | rse-aunz.github.io | Australasian chapter for research software practitioners |
| BE-RSE | Belgium | be-rse.org | Belgian research software engineering network |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is individual membership in US-RSE free?
Yes. Individual membership in the US-RSE Association is free. It includes access to the Slack workspace, newsletters, community calls, working groups, and voting in Steering Committee elections.
What is the difference between individual and organizational membership?
Individual membership is designed for individual practitioners, researchers, and allies at no cost. Organizational membership allows universities, laboratories, and companies to support US-RSE through financial contributions and receive institutional recognition.
When and where is the US-RSE 2026 conference?
The US-RSE 2026 conference (USRSE’26) takes place October 19–21, 2026, in San Jose, California, with the theme “Advancing Science in the Age of AI”.
Can researchers outside the United States join US-RSE?
Yes. While US-RSE focuses on the United States research environment, individual membership is open globally to anyone who supports the mission.
Does US-RSE issue professional certifications or job placement?
No. US-RSE is a professional community rather than a licensing board. It maintains an active job board and career resources, but does not provide certifications or direct job placement.
Sources
- US-RSE Association: About US-RSE. https://us-rse.org/about/ (Read November 8, 2026).
- US-RSE Association: Mission Statement. https://us-rse.org/about/mission/ (Read November 8, 2026).
- US-RSE Association: Financial Status. https://us-rse.org/about/finances/ (Read November 8, 2026).
- US-RSE Association: Join US-RSE. https://us-rse.org/join/ (Read November 8, 2026).
- US-RSE Association: Organizational Membership. https://us-rse.org/org-membership (Read November 8, 2026).
- US-RSE Association: Annual Conferences. https://us-rse.org/events/conference (Read November 8, 2026).
- US-RSE Association: Working Groups. https://us-rse.org/working-groups/ (Read November 8, 2026).
- International Council of RSE Associations: Associations Directory. https://researchsoftware.org/ (Read November 8, 2026).
