The Research Software Engineering (RSE) team provides professional software development and technical consultancy to researchers across the University of Sussex. We work with academic staff at every stage of a project, from initial scoping and grant applications through to delivery and long-term maintenance, frequently in collaboration with the ITS Research team, the Library and Data Protection teams.

Services

Software development

We design and build research software including web applications, data pipelines, mobile apps, and visualisation tools. We are familiar with the University's core infrastructure and can advise on hosting, security, and data governance.

Design and scoping workshops

If you have a research idea with a software component but are unsure how to proceed, we can run structured workshops to define requirements, identify technical constraints, and produce a realistic specification.

Technical consultancy and grant support

We can advise on feasibility, architecture, and costing for funding bids that include software. Early engagement helps ensure proposals are technically sound, deliverable and align with grant requirements for FAIR data and software.

Code review and guidance

For researchers writing their own code, we offer review and advice on version control, testing, documentation, and reproducibility. Also, if you have existing software that is unmaintained, undocumented, or no longer functioning, we can assess its condition and advise on next steps.

Scope

We have experience across a broad range of research applications, including digital humanities, clinical trial tools, machine learning pipelines, VR environments, mobile apps, data management systems, interactive dashboards, and hardware programming.

Who we are

• Nicolas Seymour-Smith: Research Software Engineer (Sussex Digital Humanities Lab)
• James Alvarez: Scientific Officer - Senior Web Developer (Psychology)
• James Knight: Senior Research Fellow (Informatics)
• Reese Wilkinson: Research Software Engineer (ITS)

Getting in touch

We encourage any academic planning work that involves software whether built internally, by our team, or by an external supplier - to contact us early. A brief conversation at the outset can clarify scope, avoid common pitfalls, and help us direct the right support where it is needed.

Contact us at research-software-engineering@sussex.ac.uk