Senior Scientific Software Developer – Bioimage Informatics

High Performance Research Computing (HPRC) and the Center for Bioimage Informatics (CBI) at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is seeking a Senior Scientific Software Developer to design and build the software platforms, applications, and data systems that power bioimage informatics at St. Jude. This is a hands-on, full-stack engineering role for a developer who wants their code to directly enable pediatric cancer and catastrophic-disease research.

CBI is a dynamic, close-knit team that develops and applies innovative AI and computer vision approaches for biological image analysis and quantification. As our Senior Scientific Software Developer, you will lead the software-engineering side of CBI’s bioimage informatics stack. You will turn algorithms, models, and analysis workflows developed with image data scientists, AI/ML researchers, and collaborating biologists into robust, scalable, well-tested software for image generation, management, analysis, and processing. You will spend the majority of your time architecting, building, integrating, and testing production-ready software.

What you’ll work on:

• Architect, build, and maintain full-stack applications, services, and data platforms that enable image generation, management, analysis, and processing at scale.
• Turn image analysis and AI/ML workflows developed by CBI’s image data scientists and AI/ML researchers into reliable, reproducible, production-grade software used across St. Jude.
• Design and implement RESTful APIs, web interfaces, and PostgreSQL-backed data systems for managing large, multidimensional imaging datasets (3D/4D/5D, terabyte-scale).
• Integrate and extend open-source bioimaging tools and standards (OME-Zarr/NGFF, Bio-Formats, OMERO, napari, ImageJ/Fiji), and contribute robust, well-tested code back to the community.
• Partner with image data scientists, AI/ML researchers, biologists, and other software engineers — and with collaborating imaging facilities and research groups across St. Jude — to build the tools they rely on.

Our stack and ecosystem includes the Python scientific computing stack (NumPy, SciPy, scikit-image, Dask, Zarr), the open-source bioimaging ecosystem (OME-Zarr/NGFF, Bio-Formats, OMERO, napari, ImageJ/Fiji), full-stack open-source web development (Java,

JavaScript, Spring, Node.js, RESTful APIs), PostgreSQL, Docker, Maven, and Git. We also explore agentic AI and tool-calling frameworks such as the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

This position reports to the Director of High Performance Research Computing and works closely with the Center for Bioimage Informatics as a collaborative team member. This is an onsite role in Memphis, TN.

Other tasks:

• Leads software coding, testing, debugging, documenting, and installation, and may be responsible for one or more of these components, as directed.
• Leads the design of the system’s graphical user interface.
• Assists in developing detailed specifications for programs to be written for enterprise-wide systems.
• Develops the detailed specifications from which programs will be written for group-level systems.

Job Responsibilities:

• Perform the detailed design, coding and testing of software utilizing established design/code standards and to the architectural patterns outlined by the architectural team.
• Design and implement new systems and features, as well as modify and maintain existing systems for adaptation to business and/or technology changes.
• Manage projects and provide subject matter expertise for production systems, document maintenance and system support procedures.
• Support continuous improvement by investigating alternatives and new technologies and presenting these for architectural review.
• Determine root cause for the most complex software issues and develop practical, efficient, and permanent technical solutions.
• Collaborate with internal teams and vendors to fix and improve products.
• Remain current on new technologies and available vendor packages; evaluate and make recommendations as necessary.
• Train and mentor junior teams on emerging technology systems and applications related aspects.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
• Maintains regular and predictable attendance.

Minimum Education and/or Training:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, information science, business, or related field required.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum experience: 4+years of IT experience in systems programming and development, preferably in comparable industry.
• Experience in SDLC methodologies (e.g. Agile, Waterfall, CI/CD).
• Experience in software systems d