Note: RSE Services is currently not accepting new projects! Please come back at a later time for any status updates.
This service provides researchers with skilled Research Software Engineers (RSEs) to assist in the creation of efficient, scalable, and sustainable research software in order to enable new scientific advances. Specifically, the service provides software development and integration resources, enabling research students, faculty and staff to focus on their research.
Features
- Initial development of a code repository, including but not limited to creating packages, testing, containerization, documentation, and data provenance (e.g., DOIs)
- Maintainer responsibility of a code repository, including responding to issues and addressing questions and feature requests for the continued lifecycle of the software
- General application development and deployment
- Scaling of an algorithm to run on HPC and/or cloud services
Designed for
Any Stanford University researcher, including students, faculty and staff. This includes:
- healthcare researchers, as well as researchers from the Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC)
- Principal investigators (PIs) with PTAs
- Stanford Medicine staff*
*Stanford Medicine staff can also be VA staff, but cannot pay with VA dollars
Data security
This service is not available for data classified as High Risk by the Information Security Office.
Rates
There are five options to engage in this consulting service. Use cases and rate models for each of these options follow. In all cases, the RSE will work with you to find the best deal for the work needed.
| Options | Use Cases | Rate Model |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Support (Up to one hour) |
Bug fixes, debugging, general questions, repository or continuous integration help | No charge for Stanford faculty, staff, students. RSE staff will scope out work if it will take longer than one hour. |
| A La Carte | This option is best for work that can be scoped to a specific number of hours and type of rate. | Rate options include:
|
| Projects | This option is best for short-term projects (less than 10 hours) with a well-defined scope of work (e.g. building, testing and deployment containers, developing packages and documentation) that include a combination of basic and development rates. | Rate options include:
|
| Subscription | This option is best when ongoing support is required. It is typically two to three hours per month. Use cases include:
|
Client and RSE determine the number of hours per month for the engagement. RSE staff tracks hours. If the number of hours exceeds what was agreed to, a new baseline will be established with the client. |
| Service Contract (Project Based) |
This option is best when one or more quarters of dedicated work (full or part-time) is required. Frequently, this work is written into grant requests for funding. |
The rate is determined by the type of work and the number of contracted hours. Maintenance and general support are considered basic compared to focused development. |
Get started
To request the RSE Services, submit a help request.
Learn more
Learn more about the service's owner, Vanessa Sochat, and the RSE Stories podcast in this article. You can also browse best practice guides and software templates at the RSE Services on GitHub site.
