US-RSE: Empowering Hidden Contributors Driving Science

Over the past decade, academia and national labs have increasingly recognized the crucial role of hidden contributors contributing to accelerating science. The acknowledgement is evident in quite some projects. From the founding of 8 Research Software Engineer Associations worldwide to the dedicated efforts of the NSF Center of Excellence for Science Gateways. While it is encouraging that the importance of research software and projects such as HDF5 by the HDFGroup, we still have a long road in front of us for well-defined career paths and incentives for people in the line of work of creating research software. A multi-faceted approach is needed to meet researchers and educators as well as the hidden contributors where they are. This talk will delve into the crucial role of research software engineers in advancing research and computational activities. Furthermore, It will highlight the importance of fostering a community that encompasses all stakeholders in academia and national labs, advocating for a cultural change and actionable measures on how everyone can contribute to make it happen.