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| Company Name: |
University of Illinois |
| Location: |
Urbana, IL |
| Position Type: |
Full Time |
| Post Date: |
02/27/2026 |
| Expire Date: |
03/29/2026 |
| Job Categories: |
Education, Engineering, Collegiate Faculty, Staff, Administration |
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Lead Research Engineer - NCSA
<span style="font-family: Arial"><h2 style="text-align: center">Lead Research Engineer - NCSA</h2><h3 style="text-align: center">NCSA</h3><br><h4>Job Summary</h4>Advance next-generation AI systems for agriculture, with a focus on large language model (LLM)–based applications. This position will play a key role in designing and evaluating public-facing benchmarking services, curating high-quality benchmark datasets, and building scalable software infrastructure, while collaborating across research and applied teams with diverse partners.<h4>Duties & Responsibilities</h4><h4>AI System Design & Development:</h4><ul><li>Design, develop, and deploy LLM-based applications and services for agricultural and natural resource use cases</li><li>Implement end-to-end AI solutions, including model integration, APIs, and user-facing interfaces</li><li>Apply modern software engineering practices to ensure scalability, reliability, and maintainability of AI systems</li><li>Collaborate with researchers to translate experimental concepts into production-ready system</li></ul><p><strong>Full Stack Software Engineering:</strong></p><ul><li>Develop and maintain full stack software systems, including frontend interfaces and backend services</li><li>Build scalable, cloud-ready architectures to support public-facing platforms and internal tools</li><li>Integrate databases, data pipelines, and external services to support AI workflows</li><li>Ensure performance, security, and usability standards across applications</li></ul><p><strong>Evaluation, Benchmarking & Data Curation:</strong></p><ul><li>Design and implement evaluation methodologies for interactive question-answering and decision-support systems</li><li>Contribute to the creation, curation, and maintenance of benchmark datasets for LLM-based systems</li><li>Develop automated benchmarking and evaluation pipelines to assess model performance and reliability</li><li>Support public benchmarking services and contribute to transparent, reproducible evaluation practices</li></ul><p><strong>Project Coordination & Technical Leadership:</strong></p><ul><li>Participate in the planning and execution of funded software and research projects</li><li>Contribute to technical documentation, reporting, and knowledge sharing</li><li>Work across research and applied environments to align software development with scientific goals</li><li>Collaborate with faculty, students, industry partners, and external collaborators on interdisciplinary projects</li><li>Contribute technical expertise to gran-funded research and development initiatives</li><li>Technical management and oversight of funded projects around AI benchmarking for agriculture [because Ansh will be doing day-to-day management of the Gates project]</li></ul><h4>Minimum Qualifications</h4><ul><li>Master’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics or a closely related field </li><li>A minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in full-stack software development, demonstrating proficiency with modern programming workflows and tools </li><li>Demonstrated experience leading a multi-person research software development project, including technical oversight and coordination</li></ul><h4>Specialty Factors</h4><ul><li>Strong experience in full stack software development, including both frontend and backend systems</li><li>Strong experience designing and deploying LLM-based applications and services</li><li>Demonstrated proficiency with modern programming workflows, including LLM-based development tools and agent frameworks</li><li>Experience evaluating interactive question-answering and decision-making systems; formal benchmarking or systematic evaluation experience preferred</li></ul><h4> Preferred Qualifications</h4><ul><li>Knowledge of agriculture, agronomy, and AI-based advisory systems for farming or natural resource management</li><li>Experience working on technical projects involving multiple partners with diverse goals and constraints</li><li>Experience managing or contributing to funded software development or research projects, including coordination, reporting, or technical leadership</li></ul><h4>Knowledge, Skills and Abilities</h4><ul><li>Excellent interpersonal relation skills </li><li>Communicate clearly with all types of audiences </li><li>Ability to work in distributed team setting with shared responsibilities </li><li>Works independently once given direction </li><li>Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously</li></ul><h4>Appointment Information</h4><p>This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 3/1/2026. The salary range for this position is$95,000-100,000 annually, commensurate with experience. This position is noteligible for sponsorship. </p><h4>Application Procedures & Deadline Information</h4><p>Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on Sunday, March 1. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through <a href="https://jobs.illinois.edu">https://jobs.illinois.edu</a> will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact kiener2@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.</p><p></p><p>At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — the state’s flagship public university and one of the world’s leading research institutions — <strong>every staff member helps shape what’s next</strong>. Founded in 1867, Illinois is home to a vibrant community of 59,000 students from all 50 states and 129 countries, supported by 15 colleges and instructional units, more than 20 research institutes, and one of the most comprehensive student service ecosystems in the nation. Whether you’re empowering first-generation students, fueling breakthrough innovation, or strengthening communities across Illinois and beyond, your work here has a far-reaching and deeply meaningful impact. The university offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security. Join a top 10 public university that has launched over 330 startups and continues to redefine excellence — where the Illinois Value Proposition ensures that your contributions are recognized, your potential is nurtured, and your career can thrive.</p><p><a href="https://makeitcu.com/" title="https://makeitcu.com/">Champaign-Urbana</a></p><p><em>Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.</em></p><p id="benefitStatement">This position is intended to be <a href="https://go.illinois.edu/workatillinois">eligible for benefits</a>. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.</p><hr><p align="center">The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit <a href="https://go.uillinois.edu/noticesandposters" target="_blank">Required Employment Notices and Posters</a> to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through <a href="https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf" target="_blank">E-Verify</a>.</p><p align="center">Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the <a href="http://go.illinois.edu/accommodationportal" title="http://go.illinois.edu/accommodationportal">reasonable accommodation portal</a>, or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or <a title="mailto:accessibility@illinois.edu">accessibility@illinois.edu</a>.</p><hr><p><strong>Requisition ID</strong>: 1035054<br><strong>Job Category</strong>: Research<br><strong>Apply at:</strong> <a href="https://jobs.illinois.edu">https://jobs.illinois.edu</a></p><a name="HEJobs" type="hidden" value="No"></a><a name="Billing_Name" type="hidden" value=""></a><a name="Billing_Email" type="hidden" value=""></a></span>
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| Company Name: |
University of Illinois |
| Website: | https://illinois.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/16219?c=illinois |
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