Research software,

research culture

and RSEs

Simon Hettrick

19 May 2023 - Research Software Indaba - online                   @sjh5000 - ORCID: 0000-0002-6809-5195

A quick summary of 13 years of progress around software in the UK

www.software.ac.uk

Is software important to research?

Use software

Fundamental to results

69%

92%

n=417

A whistlestop tour through our experience of...

If we want software sustainability as default behaviour we must change academic culture

"Oh come on! How big can this Goliath guy be?"

Collaborate; don't compete

https://www.software.ac.uk/blog/2020-08-14-10-pivotal-moments-history-institute

Advocacy

Fellowship programme

Fellowship

https://www.software.ac.uk/programmes-and-events/fellowship-programme

Skills

The Carpentries

https://www.software.ac.uk/programmes-and-events/carpentry-programmes

Incentives

https://hidden-ref.org/

Careers

"Research Software Engineer"

- Collaborations Workshop,

22 March 2012,

Queen's College Oxford

www.society-rse.org

2013

1 RSE Group at UCL

2013

1 RSE Group at UCL

2023

40 groups across the UK

RSE Conference 2022

~10,000 RSEs worldwide

Image courtesy Ian Cosden

"Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come"

  • We need recognition for software and its role in research

  • We need a broader understanding of how to measure contribution towards the success of research

  • We need recognition of software throughout universities and research organisations

  • We need embedded RSEs to reap the same benefits as those in RSE Groups

  • We need RSEs... a lot more of them!

We have come far, but there is much still to be done

Thank you!

@sjh5000

ORCID: 0000-0002-6809-5195, EPSRC Grant no: EP/S021779/1

Licence

 © Simon Hettrick. These slides are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Link to slides

https://slides.com/simonhettrick/research-software-research-culture-and-rses-2023

Research software, research culture and RSEs

By Simon Hettrick

Research software, research culture and RSEs

A quick overview of how the Hidden REF came about. Put together to elicit conversation during a one hour "chatter" session.

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