High Performance Computing Specialist

Are you passionate about pushing the boundaries of computational power? Do you thrive in a research environment? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

At VITO, a top European research center, 1,300 employees turn scientific insights into ground-breaking technological innovations, AI solutions and policy advice. We do so with a single objective: to help our world thrive for at least 1,000 more years.

You will join the Data and Analytics (D&A) team, a transversal team that supports research groups within VITO with topics related to data, analytics, machine learning and other AI techniques. Together with the IT department, the team manages a Central HPC Platform to support the computational needs of the VITO research projects. This platform plays a pivotal role in making research at VITO more data-driven and aims to provide a cohesive, scalable, and universally accessible computing cluster across VITO. By leveraging state of the art hardware accelerators like NVIDIA A100 GPUs, it caters to a diverse range of data science applications, statistical analyses, and training of machine learning models.

As an HPC Specialist in the D&A team, you will play a key role in helping researchers make optimal use of the platform. Your work will focus on supporting users in developing and optimizing code and computational workflows across diverse application areas, including data processing, machine and deep learning, and physical simulations. You will also deliver user training and help drive broad adoption of the platform. In addition, you will identify needs and opportunities for improvement, collaborating closely with the IT teams responsible for hardware and software to enhance the platform and guide its evolution, ensuring an excellent user experience and future-proofing VITO’s computing capabilities. You are comfortable with deep diving into technical problems with IT, but also in discussing with researchers how to take full advantage of the HPC platform for their research.

You are aware of the latest developments in the HPC domain, including initiatives such as the VSC (Vlaams Supercomputing Centrum), EuroHPC and the European AI Factories, and connect with them when relevant.

Your tasks and responsibilities

• Understand the computational needs of researchers and provide tailored solutions in collaboration with IT teams.

• Conduct training sessions and tutorials to empower users in utilizing HPC resources effectively.

• Keep track of the latest developments and technologies in the field to ensure our HPC environment remains state-of-the-art.

• Continuously assess and design improvements to enhance cluster efficiency and user experience together with IT teams.

• Keep track of the latest developments & algorithms in the machine learning & AI world, to provide users with the best solutions & optimizations for their research code.

• Act as a bridge between Data and Analytics (D&A) and IT teams.

• Liaise with external HPC initiatives

• A master’s degree in computer science or a relevant field. A PhD in a computational field is a strong plus.

• Demonstrable experience working with Linux, HPC systems and schedulers like SLURM, deep learning, distributed computing, and GPU computing.

• Expert knowledge of Python, the scientific Python ecosystem, deep learning frameworks like PyTorch, TensorFlow and/or JAX, as well as tooling such as git, Conda, Pixi, UV and Jupyter Notebooks.

• Familiar with modern Python software development tools and practices: type hinting and static type checking, Pydantic, pytest, ruff.

• Experiences and knowledge considered a plus: containerization (Docker/ Singularity/ Apptainer) and orchestration (Kubernetes), CUDA, C, C++, Fortran, networking and storage infrastructure, cloud technology, software compilation, contributions to open source software, APIs and web technology, LLMs and natural language processing, computer vision, CI/CD, databases.

• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.

• Enthusiastic about further developing our platform with the IT departments.

• Proactive, takes initiative, dares to make decisions and follows through on opportunities.

• Stay on top of the latest HPC technologies to drive our computing capabilities forward.

• Presentation and/or teaching or training skills.

• Comfortable working in an R&D environment.

Offer

• A motivated team of colleagues who support each other.

• A competitive salary with salary package supplemented with extra-legal benefits such as allowances, insurances and a modular holiday package.

• Flexible working hours and location: We work 'activity-based': your activities determine your workplace. On average, you are expected at our office in Mol, together with flex working in a satellite office in Antwerp-Berchem, Leuven, Ghent, Ostend or Genk are possible.

• Innovation is a key principle at VITO, reflected in opportunities for further training and keeping up with the state of the art in your field.

• You are part of an internationally renowned organization, known for high-level technological research and scientific excellence. You actively contribute to the transition towards a sustainable society at local, national, and international levels.