We are pleased to announce the winner of the RSE Data Competition is Saranjeet Kaur Bhogal for their analysis titled What have we learnt from the RSE journey so far. Congratulations!

Using data collected by SSI and our international partners over the last decade, Saranjeet explores the following aspects of the RSE community: disciplines in which RSEs work, how are RSEs typically testing software, version control tools used for software development, funding sources for RSE work and factors influencing the move to RSE roles.

Saranjeet’s analysis - alongside the work done by the other two finalists - demonstrates the value of such a rich and long-term dataset for the community. Whether it’s using it to develop new training pathways or advocate for better mental health support for RSEs, the RSE Survey provides the community with a key tool to improve research software by supporting the people who develop it.

Thanks to generous support from the Society of Research Software Engineering, Saranjeet will:

• Be invited to present their analysis at the annual RSE Conference in September 2026
• Be awarded a cash prize of £250 or a bursary to cover their registration fee for the conference
• Have their analysis published on the SSI and Society of RSE websites

We’d also like to express our congratulations to our other finalists, Nabeel Siddiqui and Tom Wilson and Liam Berrisford, for their excellent contributions. You can see their full analyses at the links below.

If you’d like to investigate the survey data yourself, there is a public dashboard available or you can download the full dataset.

Winner

What have we learnt from the RSE journey so far

By Saranjeet Kaur Bhogal

The role of a Research Software Engineer (RSE) has been evolving since the term was first coined at Software Sustainability Institute’s Collaborations Workshop 2012, almost a decade and a half ago. RSEs play an important role in the research ecosystem by developing and maintaining software that supports research activities. In this analysis, Saranjeet explores the following aspects of the RSE community: disciplines in which RSEs work, how are RSEs typically testing software, version control tools used for software development, funding sources for RSE work and factors influencing the move to RSE roles.

Explore the full analysis here.

Other finalists

The Backbone of Research Software Engineering: Mapping the

Evolution of Programming Language Ecosystems, 2018–2022

By Nabeel Siddiqui

Nabeel uses the survey data to explore whether RSE communities tend to cluster around shared programming language ecosystems, or does adoption data simply mirror the dominance of the most popular languages? The dominant approach to Research Software Engineer (RSE) professionalization assumes that defining essential skills and identifying entry points into careers will result in professional recognition. This perspective is reflected in research that aims to pinpoint core training criteria as starting points for RSEs across various institutional settings. However, such skill profiles are normative tools that specify what RSEs should know rather than depict how actual communities are organized. This analysis questions the idea that standardized training frameworks accurately represent RSE practice.

Explore the full analysis here.

How Team Structure Impacts Organisational Resilience and RSE Burnout

By Tom Wilson and Liam Berrisford

Tom and Liam use the survey data to argue that a centralised Research Software Engineering (RSE) team is likely to provide stronger organisational resilience and lower burnout risk than models in which RSEs are embedded as isolated individuals across separate projects or departments. Centralisation does not eliminate project risk, but it changes the risk structure from person-dependent to team-dependent, which is generally more manageable at the institutional level.

Explore the full analysis here.