Activities and News
2026
Ongoing
- We are looking for participants for our survey:
Onboarding in Research Software Engineering: Newcomer Perspectives
- We would like to better understand how people find their way into the field of research software engineering, what experiences, motivations, and challenges they bring with them, and what kind of support they would like to receive.
- Your answers will help us design learning and onboarding opportunities that provide more targeted support to newcomers to RSE.
- The survey is available in English and German via this link
- since April 25: Guidelines for software development at RWTH Aachen University.
- This is a joint effort with the MSS profile area, FZJ, ITC, RWTH ZHV and the Innovation GmbH. It is meant to support, among others, the RWTH EXC as well as its cluster proposals.
- This activity has been embedded into the more general activities of the joint GI RSE and the deRSE Task Force on “Guidelines for software development” and will come up with a common set of guideline, possibily refined for RWTH specific possibilities, such as extended support for sustainable development, or licensing restrictions.
- since April 26: RWTH is creating an “RSE Hub” in accordance to these guidelines.
July
- Call for Participation — Research Focus Class on Research Software Engineering and Learning Technologies A Research Focus Class will be offered again in the winter semester 2026/27. One of its main topics will be Research Software Engineering (RSE) at the intersection with learning and educational technologies. Participants will explore current research questions concerning the design, development, and evaluation of software used in educational research and practice. The course combines methodological input with collaborative, project-based work and gives students the opportunity to formulate and investigate their own research questions. Students interested in research software, software engineering, or educational technologies are invited to participate. Registration is coordinated by Birte Heinemann. (ask Birte Heinemann for details)
April
- The Research Focus Class: “Research Methods and Paradigms in Research Software Engineering for Learning Technologies”, offered by Birte Heinemann (Chair of Learning Technologies) and Julian Dehne (German Informatics Society), introduces students to central research methods and paradigms in Research Software Engineering (RSE) within the context of learning technologies. Participants will explore how empirical, design-oriented, and interdisciplinary research can be applied to real-world challenges at the intersection of software, data, and education. The course combines methodological input with project-based work and invites students to develop and discuss their own research ideas. (ask Birte Heinemann for details)
March
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The seminar on Research Software Engineering Methods and Methodology introduces students to empirical methods and the RIGHT framework, combining hands-on research with innovative teaching for future RSE curricula. (ask Bernhard Rumpe or Marc Schmidt for details)
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The seminars “Research Software Engineering Management and Communication”, offered by Julian Dehne and Bernhard Rumpe (Chair of Software Engineering), provides a practice-oriented introduction to key competencies in Research Software Engineering. Aimed at Master’s students, the course focuses on management and communication skills such as stakeholder interaction, requirements elicitation, and project coordination in research contexts. It also serves as a testbed for teaching methods and content envisioned for the emerging RSE Master’s curriculum. Through hands-on activities, including interviews with researchers and the development of case studies, students gain practical insights while contributing to the ongoing refinement of RSE education. (ask Bernhard Rumpe or Marc Schmidt for details)
- Dec. 2024 – March 2026: The LLM-Café was hosted by the Chair of Software Engineering at the RWTH Aachen. This event featured two short talks on the latest advancements and applications of large language models in scientific research and teaching.
January
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A new reference curriculum for a Master’s degree in Research Software Engineering has been introduced to address the growing importance of software in modern research. Coordinated by Julian Dehne and supported by the Klaus Tschira Stiftung, the GI RSE group and deRSE e.V., the program aims to equip graduates with both advanced software engineering skills and domain-specific expertise. The curriculum proposes two study tracks, one for computer science graduates and one for students from other disciplines, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of RSE. Currently under review, the initiative marks an important step toward formalizing education for this emerging professional field. (ask Bernhard Rumpe for details)
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Monday, 26 Jan 2026, online lecture by Dr. Julian Dehne- Topic: Methodological questions of Research Software Engineering (Methodische Fragen der Forschungssoftwareentwicklung)
- Abstract: Software-based research is playing an increasingly central role in modern science. The professional development and competent application of software are crucial for progress in almost all scientific disciplines. The lecture addresses the question of what role research software plays as a confounding variable or as a separate object of research in the research process. Methodological issues are discussed using examples from learning technologies and computer-based social sciences. These examples are used to discuss the tension between the paradigms of design-oriented research and social science-empirical research with regard to research software. The lecture concludes with a plea for strengthening university education in empirical methods and philosophy of science in order to prevent a repeat of the reproduction crisis based on unreflective research software. A systematization of methods of research software development for various forms of research is outlined as a module for the planned Master’s program in Research Software Engineering.
- About the lecturer: Julian Dehne holds a doctorate in educational technology and has since worked as a research software engineer. He heads the RSE working group at the Gesellschaft für Informatik in Berlin. There, he coordinates the didactic and conceptual development of framework recommendations for the introduction of research software engineering as a university master’s degree (these will be published at the end of January). Julian Dehne is also working on his habilitation thesis on the topic of research software engineering in the social and educational sciences. His research focuses on the interconnection of research software, empirical research, and open science.
2025
October
- New article on RSE:
- A new article on RSE:
- The official GI/deRSE Muster-Leitlinie for RSE is published:
- The DFG has published
- [DFG24] Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V. Handreichung: “Umgang mit Forschungssoftware im Förderhandeln der DFG”, Oktober 2024.
- It describes (a) core principles of research software development and (b) how to embed software development in DFG research proposals. This is great news, because it appreciates RSE, RSEs and their work as core and relevant scientific activities.
- Software in science a globalized perspective:
- Hocquet, Alexandre & Wieber, Frédéric & Gramelsberger, Gabriele & Hinsen, Konrad & Diesmann, Markus & Santos, Fernando & Landström, Catharina & Peters, Benjamin & Kasrpowicz, Dawid & Borrelli, Arianna & Roth, Phillip & Lee, Clarissa Ai Ling & Olteanu, Alin & Böschen, Stefan. (2024). Software in science is ubiquitous yet overlooked. Nature Computational Science. 10.1038/s43588-024-00651-2.
April
- We at RWTH are currently finalizing the “RWTH Leitlinie für die effiziente Entwicklung von Forschungssoftware”. This document is currently available from e.g. Bernhard Rumpe (rumpe@se-rwth.de) and will hopefully become finalized and approved in the next few weeks. It is based on the official GI/deRSE Muster-Leitlinie (see above). (ask Bernhard Rumpe for details)
2024
October
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10 Oktober 2024LLM-Cafe: Fundamentals of Language Models: How do GPT models work?- In recent years, Language Models have become increasingly relevant in day-to-day life. These models are capable of generating human-like text and have been used in a variety of applications, from chatbots to machine translation. One of the most well-known Language models is OpenAI’s ChatGPT, but what exactly goes on under the hood and how does it generate coherent text? This talk will explore the mechanics and architecture behind GPT models, such as ChatGPT, LLama and Claude in detail and demystify their inner workings. We will begin by introducing the concept behind language models and how they generate novel text. From there we will focus on the architecture of GPT models, in particular the Transformer model that powers them. We will look at the key components behind GPT models, such as word embeddings, the self-attention mechanism, and how transformers store information.
- Contact person: Lukas Netz, netz@se-rwth.de or Bernhard Rumpe.
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15-16 Oct 2024Meeting of the RSE Section of the German Informatics Society. -
10 Oct 2024LLM-Cafe: Fundamentals of Language Models: How do GPT models work?
July
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18. July 2024LLM-Cafe: Discussion round on the current development of AI research and how it influences our everyday research and work.- LLMs in programming education by Annabell Brocker
- Code Quality of LLMs from a scientific point of view by Henning Duwe
- Contact person: Lukas Netz, netz@se-rwth.de or Bernhard Rumpe.
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July 2024RWTH Themenheft on Research Software Engineering.- The RWTH Themenheft on RSE gives an overview of Research Software at RWTH
and JARA. There are 16 representative contributions including the following
topics:
- Research Software Engineering: Past, Present and Future
- Wissenschaftstheoretische Reflexionen zu Research Software Engineering
- Contributions from Mechanical Engineernig over Physics to Software Engineering
- Available under: RWTH Themenheft on Research Software Engineering
- The RWTH Themenheft on RSE gives an overview of Research Software at RWTH
and JARA. There are 16 representative contributions including the following
topics:
Mai
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03 Mai 2024Malte Lantin, GitHub: Empowering Developers with GitHub Copilot- Abstract: For the last years generative artificial intelligence, especially large language models, started to change more and more areas of our lives. As with every wave of technology, the first expectations have have not been fulfilled in all of those areas yet. Still in software development we have have seen a rapid adoption of tools assisting engineers to develop software faster and with higher satisfaction. During this session we will introduce GitHub Copilot for AI-assisted software development, discuss the benefits and explore how it can help everyone who has to write code for work and research.
- Contact person: Lukas Netz, netz@se-rwth.de or Bernhard Rumpe.
May
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03 May 2024Talk: Malte Lantin, GitHub: Empowering Developers with GitHub Copilot.
April
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15-19 April 2024Participation at the Seminar on “Research Software Engineering: Bridging Knowledge Gaps” (Dagstuhl) -
11-12 April 2024RSE Meeting: What are Research Topics on RSE? (Hannover)
February
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02 Feb 2024LLM-Cafe: Open discussion on LLM and AI usage in software engineering in teaching and research.- Contact person: Lukas Netz, netz@se-rwth.de
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29 Feb 2024RSE Meeting: What are Research and Teaching Topics on RSE? (Linz) -
02 Feb 2024LLM-Cafe: Open discussion on LLM and AI usage in software engineering in teaching and research.
2023
June
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8 June 2023: Founding of the RSE Section of the German Informatics Society.
May
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17 May 2023: Initial event on RSE at RWTH Aachen University with about 120 participants. Invited speakers and topics:- Anna-Lena Lamprecht, University of Potsdam: "Better Software, Better Research" – Research Software Engineering as a Central Pillar of 21st Century Science (Keynote).
- Matthias Meinke, RWTH Aachen University: A Simulation Framework for Fundamental and Engineering Flow Analysis (stimulus presentation).
- Gabriele Gramelsberger, RWTH Aachen University: Computational Science Studies (stimulus presentation).
- Uwe Naumann, RWTH Aachen University: Software Engineering Research vs. Research Software Engineering (stimulus presentation).
- Daniel Wortmann, Forschungszentrum Jülich: Helmholtz Platform for Research Software Engineering – Preparatory Study (stimulus presentation)
- Panel discussion with Julia Kowalski, Anna-Lena Lamprecht, Matthias Meinke, Uwe Naumann and Daniel Wortmann.