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Scientific Software Engineer Jobs in Boston, MA (NOW HIRING)

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Scientific Software Engineer information

See Boston, MA salary details

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How much do scientific software engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 26, 2026, the average hourly pay for scientific software engineer in Boston, MA is $42.76, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $18.27 and $62.40 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a Scientific Software Engineer typically collaborate with researchers and domain experts on projects?

Scientific Software Engineers frequently work closely with researchers, scientists, and domain experts to translate complex scientific requirements into robust and efficient software solutions. Collaboration often involves participating in project meetings, understanding specific scientific models or data workflows, and iteratively refining software based on user feedback. This role requires strong communication skills and the ability to bridge the gap between technical software development and domain-specific needs, ensuring that the resulting tools are both scientifically accurate and user-friendly.

What are Scientific Software Engineers?

Scientific Software Engineers are professionals who design, develop, and maintain software applications tailored for scientific research and data analysis. They collaborate with scientists and researchers to create computational tools, simulations, or data processing pipelines that enable complex experiments and facilitate discovery. Their role often requires expertise in both domain-specific science and advanced programming, ensuring that software solutions are robust, efficient, and reproducible. Scientific Software Engineers typically work in academic institutions, research labs, or industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and climate science.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Scientific Software Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Scientific Software Engineer, you need a strong background in computer science, mathematics, and scientific domains, often with an advanced degree in a STEM field. Familiarity with programming languages like Python, C++, and MATLAB, as well as experience with scientific computing libraries and version control systems, is typically required. Excellent problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective collaboration are essential soft skills for this role. These competencies enable the development of robust and efficient scientific software, facilitating research and innovation in scientific projects.

What is the difference between Scientific Software Engineer vs Data Scientist?

AspectScientific Software EngineerData Scientist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields; programming skillsBachelor's or Master's in Data Science, Statistics, or related fields; programming and analytical skills
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, scientific organizations, tech companies focusing on simulation and modelingBusiness, tech companies, research institutions analyzing large datasets
Industry UsageScientific research, engineering, simulation developmentData analysis, predictive modeling, machine learning applications

While both roles require programming skills and a strong technical background, Scientific Software Engineers focus on developing software for scientific research and simulations, whereas Data Scientists analyze data to extract insights and build models. The roles often overlap in skills but differ in their primary objectives and work environments.

What job categories do people searching Scientific Software Engineer jobs in Boston, MA look for? The top searched job categories for Scientific Software Engineer jobs in Boston, MA are:
Infographic showing various Scientific Software Engineer job openings in Boston, MA as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 3% Internship, 73% Full Time, 16% Part Time, and 8% Contract. Highlights an 86% In-person, 3% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $88,933 per year, or $42.8 per hour.
Scientific Software Engineer - Compiler

Scientific Software Engineer - Compiler

QuEra Computing, Inc.

Boston, MA โ€ข On-site

$102K - $166K/yr

Full-time

Posted 10 days ago


Job description

Summary
QuEra Computing, Inc. seeks a creative and collaborative Scientific Software Engineer to help solve the unique software challenges of developing state-of-the-art simulation tools and compilers for QuEra's neutral-atom quantum computers. You will have the opportunity to work with a vibrant scientific software team and a community of industry and academic collaborators and to help our growing team of diverse experts address fascinating challenges, ranging from classical compiler techniques to modern methods for quantum simulation. You will be building QuEra's compiler pipeline together with experimental & computational physicists from low-level hardware instructions to high-level programming languages using our internal toolchain. This involves development of new compiler infrastructure and new programming language design and implementation. You will be co-designing compilers with cutting edge neutral-atom hardware and quantum error correction technology. This new direction involves multiple new challenges in both engineering and science.
Responsibilities
  • Development and maintain QuEra's Static Single Assignment intermediate representations-based compiler infrastructure and compiler components at various abstractions used by our hardware engineers and scientists.
  • Design novel domain specific languages specific to our hardware as well as Bloqade SDK together with the team.
  • Integrate existing simulation tools with the compiler pipeline and cloud service.
  • Communicate and collaborate with QuEra scientists and external customers to meet their use case requirements.

Qualifications
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science with focus on quantum computation/architecture/programming language/compiler, or equivalent professional experience.
  • Enthusiastic in building software tools for scientists especially physicists.
  • Experience with Python semantics, Python type hints, CPython interpreter.
  • Experience with at least one of the compiled languages and experienced with their type system, e.g C++, Julia, Rust, Haskell, OCamel, etc.
  • Experience with Static Single Assignment intermediate representations-based compiler development.
  • Knowledge of the full lifecycle of software development, including version control, code review, testing, CI/CD, logging, profiling, debugging, and documentation.
  • Knowledge of quantum computing basics, e.g., common quantum algorithms, quantum information theory basics.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with using LLVM or MLIR for compiler development, or experience with an existing compiler development
  • Programming language design, especially programming language theory
  • Quantum program optimization, e.g quantum circuit simplification, scheduling, routing, etc.
  • Quantum error correction
  • Contribution to existing open-source libraries
  • Experience with existing circuit simulation tools, e.g, cirq, qiskit, CUDA Quantum, etc.

The approximate base salary range for this position is $102,400 - $166,400.
We consistently monitor external market data and update base salary ranges accordingly. We determine base compensation decisions on several factors, including as geographic placement, role-specific knowledge, skills, and/or experience. In addition to our base salary offerings, we also provide equity grants for all new hires.
QuEra is committed to cultivating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We highly value diversity in our current and future employees and do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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