February 2026 Newsletter
Headlines
Welcome to this month’s Newsletter. This month we have some new and ongoing career‑building opportunities (the N8CIR summer internships and SocRSE’s mentoring scheme), emerging research directions (the generative‑AI impact survey, smart‑antibiotic decision tools, and Green Compute initiatives), and upcoming gatherings that connect and empower our community (RSECon26 webinars, podcast celebrations, and regional events). Dive in for the latest ways collaborate and shape the future of research software.
Congratulations to the team in Argentina for launching the first research software engineering community in the region! We’re thrilled to see your new website and wish you the best of luck for the future of the group. To read more take a look at this post on Linkedin.
N8CIR Summer Internships
N8CIR Summer Internship 2026 application process is now open.
Supervisors and students please Submit your application by 6th March.
Internships are open to RSEs, academics and other digital Research Technical Professionals.
https://n8cir.org.uk/internships/internship-application/
Impact of Generative AI on Research Software: from Development to Sustainability
Dear colleagues,
I would very much encourage you to take a look at our survey “Impact of Generative AI on Software Development, Application and Licensing Models”, which is open until the end of April 2026, and have your say.
While originally inspired by research software engineers from within materials modelling communities – the survey aims to build our understanding and capture our usage and adoption of Generative AI in the domain of Research Software Engineering.
The survey also addresses the vital theme of Sustainability of Research Software Projects in the fast-changing funding landscape for RSE within the public funded curiosity driven R&D.
The survey outcomes will be processed by EMMC and made public in a white paper by the end of July 2026.
Regards,
Ilian Todorov and Natalia Bedoya-Martinez
Software co-Chairs of EMMC
https://forms.gle/gbEiGSsnN9mZXk2L9
Code for Thought is 5 years old
A new season of the Code for Thought, the podcast for researchers who code and research software engineers, started in February 2026, with weekly episodes, including a new round of ByteSized episodes (STEP-UP programme).
On top of that, the podcast is celebrating its 5th birthday this year. So many thanks to all of the listeners and supporters who made this possible.
February episodes so far: making software count in research project assessments (hello HiddenREF) and a dive into the world of analog computers – and what role they play or can play in today’s technology landscape.
https://codeforthought.buzzsprout.com
SocRSE Mentoring Scheme 2026 started
The SocRSE’s mentoring scheme has just started again for 2026 with 26 keen mentor/mentee pairs, who will work through their mentoring journey together for the next nine months, supported by our external providers from CoachMentoring since 2022.
If you missed out this year – we are planning to open applications again early in 2027.
This programme is free for SocRSE members, supporting personal growth and career development by connecting Society members in the RSE community. For more details, visit https://society-rse.org/get-involved/mentoring-scheme/, add yourself to our https://groups.google.com/a/society-rse.org/g/mentoring-distribution, so you will be notified when the application process opens again for 2027 or send the mentoring team an email [email protected] for any other questions. They’re happy to help!
RSECon26 How to submit and review proposals
The RSECon26 programme team is hosting a webinar focused on the submission and review process for the conference. This session will guide authors, reviewers, and other contributors through the key steps involved in preparing and submitting proposals for the conference. Attendees will receive a clear introduction to Oxford Abstracts, the online submission platform being used to manage entries for RSECon26.
In addition, the webinar will explain how proposals are assessed once submitted. The team will outline the review criteria, describe how reviewers are selected, and clarify the overall decision-making process. There will also be time for questions, giving participants the opportunity to raise any queries about submissions or reviewing. This webinar is designed to help ensure that everyone feels confident and well prepared to take part in RSECon26, whether as an author, reviewer, or both.
Join us on 10th of March at 10am. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86209135144?pwd=V6t1bUV4uij9aPTphfTQ3ZpNBWca4p.1
Engineering Software to Support Smarter Antibiotic Decisions
Research Software Engineers from the University of Manchester recently completed a project to develop and deploy a unique knowledge support system into GP practices to support research into the over-prescription of antibiotics.
https://research-it.manchester.ac.uk/news/2026/02/19/support-smarter-antibiotic-decisions
Green Compute for Research @UoM
A new special interest group has been launched at the University of Manchester for anyone interested in the environmental impact of research computing at the University.
https://research-it.manchester.ac.uk/news/2026/02/03/green-compute-for-research-uom
Call for Submissions and Reviewers Webinar
The RSECon26 programme committee are hosting a webinar to introduce this year’s committee, submissions and reviewers call. Please join us to find out more and ask questions about this year’s calls!
Follow the link to sign up.
https://forms.gle/hncAeUivJ7oWnZzH8
Community News & Events
Save the Date | RSE Leaders & Aspiring Leaders Meeting
Save the date for the next RSE Leaders & Aspiring Leaders meeting, which will be held at Durham University on Monday 15 June.
This event will focus on the policy and funding landscape for RSEs. The Society has recently launched a Policy & Funding Working Group to help the Society better advocate for RSEs with institutions, funders, and policy makers. Attendees will contribute to the Working Group’s strategy and help shape the key advocacy areas that the Society will focus on in the coming years.
The agenda is currently in development, but we will announce opportunities for attendees to contribute to the programme when registration opens.
Lunch will be provided. We will also provide the option for people to attend virtually.
The event will run alongside Durham HPC Days, which is taking place from 15-19 June. If you wish to attend any of the other sessions of Durham HPC Days, you will need to register separately.
The event is jointly hosted by Durham University Advanced Research Computing, SocRSE’s Policy & Funding Working Group, and the RSE Leaders Network SIG.
RSEEE & Women in HPC Meeting – East Anglia, 22 April 2026
Don’t miss the RSEEE & Women in HPC Meeting – East Anglia on 22 April 2026 at the JIC Conference Centre, Norwich.
This joint event brings together Research Software Engineers, researchers, PhD students, early-career researchers, software developers, system administrators, HPC specialists, and members of Women in HPC for a day of collaboration and community-building.
Whether you’re a student exploring computational research, a researcher building complex workflows, an RSE developing robust tools, a computing support professional keeping systems running, or an HPC specialist managing infrastructure, this meeting is for you.
* Connect with peers across the East of England.
* Share challenges and practical solutions.
* Learn best practices in research software and HPC.
* Champion diversity and inclusion in computational research.
Build collaborations. Strengthen technical excellence. Help shape the future of research software in our region.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Special Interest Group Updates
It has been a busy start to the year for the Society’s Special Interest Groups. The Fortran and the Reasonable Performance Computer SIGs co-hosted a Fortrain Index hackathon in January and the Teaching & Training SIG has launched a survey to understand the training being delivered by dRTP teams. The RSE Leaders Network officially relaunched and HPC-RSE SIG has published a recap of their events from last year. Looking forward to the spring, a member of the Green RSE SIG will be speaking at Collaborations Workshop in April, the Geoscience SIG is planning a seminar session, and the Regional Groups SIG is supporting upcoming events across the UK.
Society Updates
And finally, our regular reminder that we have a number of events, initiatives and resources that you might want to check out. These are linked below.
| Special Interest Groups | We have eight Special Interest Groups being run by our community members, and supported by the Society. Check out our SIGs page to get involved (or start your own!). |
| Events and Initiatives Fund | The Society has Events and Initiatives funding to provide support for events and initiatives which support our mission statement and charitable objectives. |
| Membership | Not yet a member? Why not join us today? We welcome anyone who supports our mission, whether or not they are employed as RSEs. |
| Jobs | A reminder that if you are looking for RSE-related jobs, you can join the #jobs channel on the RSE Slack workspace or visit our vacancies page. |
| Zenodo | We have a Community Zenodo Account for RSEs in the community to share publications about RSE. |
| Podcasts | Code for Thought is back and now in its ninth season, with episodes now in English, German and French. It is available on all major podcast directories, including YouTube. |
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