Software Developer

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Why join Harvard Medical School?

Harvard Medical School's mission is to nurture a diverse, inclusive community dedicated to alleviating suffering and improving health and well-being for all through excellence in teaching and learning, discovery and scholarship, and service and leadership.

You’ll be at the heart of biomedical discovery, education, and innovation, working alongside world-renowned faculty and a community dedicated to improving human health. This is more than a job - it’s an opportunity to shape the future of medicine.

Join our team of researchers, engineers, and designers to shape a future in which humans and AI collaborate to solve the most challenging biological and medical problems!

About the Department of Biomedical Informatics

The HIDIVE Lab in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School conducts research at the interface of human and artificial intelligence. We create methods and tools that enable humans and machines alike to interact with and generate insights from biomedical data, combining state-of-the-art biomedical informatics, data visualization, and AI/ML techniques across the full spectrum of biomedical data. An overview of recent publications of the lab can be found on Google Scholar. 

We value diverse viewpoints, creative thinking, and bold initiative in a highly collaborative and interdisciplinary work environment. The HIDIVE Lab has an international reputation for creating high impact data visualization tools and we are driven to solve the most challenging design and engineering problems where biomedical data, humans, and AI meet. We would love to have you on our team!

Job Description

We are seeking a Software Developer with 1-3 years of professional software development experience who wants real ownership of production software and meaningful exposure to biomedical research. Under the guidance of senior developers, you will help integrate a natural-language conversational AI system for exploring biomedical metadata and visualizations into biomedical data portals, including developing APIs and packages to move visualizations in and out of these systems. You will work with researchers, designers, and engineers to build tools that allow scientists to efficiently query, visualize, and understand complex biological data through natural language and direct interaction with visualizations. 

This role offers an opportunity to develop software at the intersection of AI, scientific discovery, and interactive data visualization - contributing to widely used biomedical data resources and community tools.

Core Responsibilities: 

• Develop and maintain web-based software for biomedical data discovery and visualization. 
• Participate fully in the software development life cycle across multiple concurrent projects. 
• Identify, triage, and resolve software bugs and performance bottlenecks using browser developer tools across multiple browsers and devices to ensure a seamless, high-performance user experience.
• Write tests and documentation, and maintain reliable, open-source code.
• Participate in code reviews, issue tracking, and iterative product development.
• Contribute to utility tools for metadata management and file format handling for genomic, single-cell, and bioimaging data (e.g., VCF, BAM, BigWig, BED, OME-NGFF, Zarr, SpatialData, etc.).
• Containerize workflows using Docker or similar tools for portability and reproducibility.
• Deploy, monitor, and maintain cloud-based services supporting lab software and data portals.
• Collaborate with researchers and domain experts to translate scientific needs into software features.
• Contribute to academic publications, technical reports, and documentation for both lay and specialist audiences.
• Stay current with emerging technologies in data visualization, AI, software development, and computational data science.
• Abide by and follow the Harvard University IT technical standards, policies, and Code of Conduct.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of two years’ post-secondary education or relevant work experience

Additional Qualifications and Skills:

• 1–3 years of professional software development experience.
• Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, shell scripting, and modern web frameworks (React, Vue).
• Familiarity with REST/GraphQL APIs, CSS, and component-based design patterns.
• Experience with automated testing, version control (e.g., GitHub), and collaborative software development workflows.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.
• Working knowledge of automated testing, version control (e.g., GitHub), and package distribution (e.g., npm, PyPI).
• Experience with Vitessce, Gosling, D3.js, or similar visualization libraries.
• Familiarity with WebGL/WebGPU or emerging visualization trends is a plus.
• Familiarity with LLMs, natural-language interfaces, and AI-powered development tools to improve efficiency and enhance metadata-driven applications.
• Background in bioinformatics data formats, molecular biology, or genomics/single-cell/spatial biology data.
• Experience contributing to open-source projects is a strong plus.

Additional Information

• Term: This is a 1 year term position from the date of hire, with the possibility of extension, contingent upon work performance and continued funding to support the position.  
• Standard Hours/Schedule: 35 hours per week
• Visa Sponsorship Information: Harvard University is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position
• Pre-Employment Screening: Identity
• Other Information: All interviews will be conducted remotely using a video conferencing platform.
• Staying Informed About Your Application: Due to the high volume of applications, we may not always be able to reach out right away, but you can track your status anytime through the Careers@Harvard portal.

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Work Format Details

This position has been determined by school or unit leaders that the duties and responsibilities can effectively be performed fully remotely at a non-Harvard location. Employees in fully remote positions must work all scheduled hours in a Harvard registered state in compliance with the University’s Policy on Employment Outside of Massachusetts. At the discretion of the department, fully remote employees may occasionally be required on site at a Harvard location. Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Salary Grade and Ranges

This position is salary grade level 057. Please visit  Harvard's Salary Ranges  to view the corresponding salary range and related information. 

Benefits

Harvard offers a comprehensive benefits package that is designed to support a healthy work-life balance and your physical, mental and financial wellbeing. Because here, you are what matters. Our benefits include, but are not limited to: 

• Generous paid time off including parental leave 
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one 
• Retirement plans with university contributions 
• Wellbeing and mental health resources 
• Support for families and caregivers 
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement 
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks 

Learn more about these and additional benefits on our Benefits & Wellbeing Page. 

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.