The document describes working as a software engineer at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). It highlights that the EBI provides a strongly academic yet collaborative environment with opportunities for variety in activities like requirements gathering, design, training, and publishing. It also notes variety in skills, technologies, management styles, and personalities of colleagues. The overall environment is described as stimulating and allowing engineers to be inventive while also having commercial benefits.

1. Life as a Software Engineer
... at the EBI
Phil Jones
Senior Software Engineer
InterPro Team EBI is an Outstation of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.

2. A stimulating environment
• Strongly academic
• Collaborative
• Open and Friendly
• Opportunities to be inventive and proactive
• “Commercial” conditions and perks
• ...it is very much “what you make of it”
EBI Open Day
4 March 2010

3. Variety in activities
• Requirements gathering
• Architectural and systems design
• User interface and graphic design
• Input into grant writing and review
• Supporting students
• Conference and meeting attendance
• Delivering training
• Writing papers for publication
• ... even the odd bit of programming
EBI Open Day
4 March 2010

4. Variety in skills and technologies
EBI Open Day
4 March 2010

5. Variety in people
• Innovators
• Pragmatists
• Strong finishers
• Communicators
• Enthusiasts
• Documenters
• Nitpickers
• Team players
• Leaders
EBI Open Day
4 March 2010

6. Variety in management style
• Traditionally has been a very flat management structure.
• Opportunities for advancement do exist as teams grow
(which they generally do!)
• Project management tends to be informal...
• Scrum and pair-programming are becoming increasingly
popular on several projects.
EBI Open Day
4 March 2010

7. http://www.ebi.ac.uk/jobs (Today’s snapshot)
EBI Open Day
4 March 2010

8. EBI Open Day
4 March 2010