A belated happy new year, and welcome to your first SocRSE Newsletter of 2026.

Headlines

We’ve got a lot of exciting announcements to mark the start of the new year, including the launch of our Mentoring Scheme and the International RSE Survey.

SocRSE Mentoring Scheme 2026

Applications for the 2026 Mentoring Scheme are now open!

• Deadline 3rd February

This programme is free for SocRSE members, supporting personal growth and career development by connecting Society members in the RSE community. For mentors, it is an opportunity to share experience, guide early-career RSEs, and hone leadership skills. Mentees can benefit from support, fresh perspectives, and guidance on navigating their career path.

For more details, visit our website, add yourself to our mentoring distribution list, so you will be notified when the application process opens or send the mentoring team an email [email protected] for any other questions. They’re happy to help!

2026 International RSE Survey Launched

The Software Sustainability Institute, alongside our international partners, have launched the 2026 International RSE Survey to help better understand what research software engineers need and how we can advocate for the community.

• To find out more and for links to the survey in a range of languages, check out the announcement on the SSI website.

The RSE Survey produces an incredibly valuable trove of data that anyone can use to understand the RSE community, including national associations, funders and policymakers. Please help us provide this data and support the RSE community by completing the survey.

You can complete the 2026 International RSE Survey in English, French, German or Spanish.

You don’t need to be called a research software engineer to complete the survey. Your formal job title does not matter – if you write code for academic research as part of your work, we want to hear from you.

Relaunch of the RSE Leaders Network SIG

Following a successful meeting at RSECon25, we’re very pleased to announce the relaunch of the RSE Leaders Network, now constituted as a Special Interest Group (SIG) within the Society. The purpose and aim of this group is to provide a forum for existing RSE leaders to support each other, to provide a forum for aspiring leaders to gain experience and network, to coordinate the gathering and maintenance of resources supporting both groups, and to be a clear entry point to the leaders’ community.

• You can read more about the relaunch in this blog post.

RSE Stories

We’re getting through our backlog of RSE Stories from 2024, and have now published two more great interviews. You can read them at the links below:

• Sadie Bartholomew
• Simon Li

If you’d like to donate half an hour of your time to help, email us at [email protected].

Upcoming call for RSECon27 programme chairs

RSECon25 may still be fresh in your memory, and preparations for RSECon26 are already underway. Perhaps you think that you’d like to put on a conference like this. Well, your chance is coming up!

We’ll put out a call in the coming months for RSECon27 programme chairs. If you’re interested in taking the lead in organising the conference in 2027, this will be your opportunity to tell us how you’d make it a great conference.

Full details of what we need from programme chairs and venues will be in the call, and there will be plenty of time to put your proposal together and discuss your plans.

Community News & Events

We have a few updates

Durham HPC Days – Registrations and Call for Sessions Open

The Durham HPC Days bring together researchers, developers, and practitioners to explore the frontiers of high-performance computing, data analysis, and scientific innovation.

• The Durham HPC Days 2026 will take place in the week of June 15th, 2026. Registration is open now!
• We also invite session proposals for 1h, 2h and 3h sessions. Deadline is January 31.
• A call for talks will open in early 2026.

All the info and forms for registration and session proposal submission can be found on the HPC Days Website. Any questions, just drop us an email at [email protected].

Hope to see you in Durham in June!

Looking back at HPC RSE SIG Events in 2025

The HPC RSE SIG committee has been busy organising meet-ups in 2025. Read summaries and browse through slides on their blog.

Charlas RSE: a monthly seminar on research software engineering in Spanish

Charlas RSE en español is a monthly seminar series showcasing the work and experiences of Research Software Engineers from across the Spanish-speaking world.

If you are interested in how software is developed, applied and shared in research contexts, and would like to explore these topics in Spanish, join us! We foster a welcoming community where participants can learn from a variety of voices, explore computational science, open-source tools, research practices and career journeys, while connecting with peers.

Events are held every month, both online and in person in London, on a Monday at 4 pm (UK time). Each session features a 45-min talk followed by Q&A, and a pub outing for those attending in person. Organised by Carlos Gavidia (Alan Turing Institute) and Sofía Miñano (Sainsbury Wellcome Centre and SSI Fellow 2026), the Charlas celebrate the role of RSEs globally and strengthen the connections within their community beyond potential language barriers.

• Subscribe to their mailing list to stay informed! Or check our past and upcoming sessions on their website.

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.

Follow Us

You can always find links to our site, key resources and social media on our Linktree page.

And remember, if you have any news or announcements you would like us to include in the newsletter, please let us know using this form.