Research IT

Promoting Research Technology Careers at Manchester

On 11 November, Research IT (RIT) and colleagues from the Software Sustainability Institute based at Manchester took part in the University of Manchester’s Computer Science Careers Fair. The event attracted many students, from first-year undergraduates to postgraduates and researchers, who were keen to understand what their future careers could look like and how they might begin shaping them.

Careers in Research Technology

One of the most striking things of the day was the number of students who told us they had never heard of Research Software Engineering (RSE) or Research Technology Professionals (RTP) as a profession. Many assumed their options were limited to conventional industry development roles.

Once we described what RSEs and research-technology staff actually do, like designing software and data systems that allow for scientific discovery, support research across all disciplines, and contribute to solutions for global challenges, students responded with genuine enthusiasm.

A New Flyer: “Use Your Tech Skills for Good”

For this year’s Careers Fair, we also tested a new flyer designed to introduce research-technology careers. The flyer was a collaboration between the University of Manchester Research IT, Society of Research Software Engineering, and the Software Sustainability Institute, with design by Denis Barclay and contributions from Aman Goel, Andrew Gait, Robert Chisholm, Shoaib Sufi, Stefan Piatek, and others.

The flyer’s core message “Use your tech skills for good” seemed to resonate well with students. The flyer highlights how research-technology careers contribute to answering big societal questions, such as:

  • How can we explore the universe and understand how it works?
  • How can we use data to help protect the planet?
  • How can we preserve and share our history for future generations?

Students appreciated seeing concrete examples of what research-technology careers could lead to, framed in a way that connected their technical skills with meaningful, real-world impact. If you or your institution would like to adapt or reuse this flyer, feel free to contact us. We are more than happy to share editable versions or hear how you might tailor it for your context.

Internships and Placements

As in previous years, many first-year students also asked about summer internships. We clarified that:

  • RIT previously hosted summer interns, but short placements are difficult to manage due to holiday periods and the short 8-week timeframe.
  • We now typically offer year-long placements, which allow students to contribute more meaningfully.
  • Even though we do not run an official summer-internship programme, there is no harm in students asking, especially as summer approaches.
  • Formal summer placements in Computer Science are coordinated through the department and students can speak to Duncan Hull or refer to the department’s placement guidance.
  • Students interested in research technology careers should also keep an eye on the website and Slack workspace of the Society of Research Software Engineering.

Beyond Computer Science

Because of the Careers Fair’s central location in the Nancy Rothwell building, we had interest from a wide range of students outside Computer Science. Many were pleased to hear that you don’t need to be a Computer Science specialist to contribute to research technology. We also spoke to several postgraduates and postdocs who visited the stand because they recognised the Research IT banner and wanted to learn more about RIT services, training, and career pathways. Even colleagues from external organisations such as Biobank stopped by to learn how the event was going for us as they consider participating next year.

And yes, as every Careers Fair confirms, the stands giving away free sweets still attract the longest queues, although we did pretty well even without the sugar boost.

Looking Ahead

We plan to continue refining our outreach materials, including the new flyer, and to support students exploring RSE and research-technology pathways. If you have feedback, suggestions, your own materials to share, or you have links to other careers fairs, please get in touch. We would love to collaborate.

If you’re a student reading this and want to know more about careers in research technology, visit:

And most importantly: Don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re always happy to talk!

With thanks to those who helped with the stall on the day: Andrew Jerrison, David Wood, Jia Wu, Maryna Shedzko

RIT Careers Fair Team

Authors: Oscar Seip (Manchester based SSI Research Community Manager), Andrew Gait (RSE, Research IT)