(Remote) Temporary Research Assistant/Software Engineer - Department of Political Science

The Department of Political Science in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University is currently accepting applications for a (Remote) Temporary Research Assistant/Software Engineer.

About the Opportunity

The Research Assistant/Software Engineer will support efforts to deliver scalable and accessible text analysis with the ConfliBERT family of large language models through a user-friendly interface supported by strong back-end computing. The RSE may also assist in pre-training and fine-tuning new ConfliBERT models.

What You'll Do

• Support efforts to deliver scalable and accessible text analysis with the ConfliBERT family of large language models through a user-friendly interface supported by strong back-end computing

• May also assist in pre-training and fine-tuning new ConfliBERT models

• Communicate and meet regularly with PI D’Orazio

• Attend weekly project meetings with faculty and students at WVU, UT Dallas, and Arizona

• Develop open-source code publicly available on github

Pay Grade: 15

Length of Assignment: Approximately 3 Months

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or discipline related to research software engineer. Graduate degree, awarded or being pursued, as a research software engineer.

• 0-6 months of relevant experience.

• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.

• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Kowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience with using large language models for text analysis

• Familiarity with high performance computing environments and SLURM

• Python or R programming languages

• Github

About WVU

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values — service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation — unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.

Job Posting: May 1, 2026

Posting Classification: Temporary

Exemption Status: Non-Exempt

Benefits Eligible: No

Schedule: Part-time