26 June 2026, by Janis-Marie Paul

Photo: Janis-Marie Paul/UHH

RSE Day 2026 brings Hamburg's Research Software Engineering community together

Despite exceptionally high summer temperatures, 65 participants from around 30 institutions and research areas came together for RSE Day 2026 at the University of Hamburg. Organized by the Hub of Computing & Data Science (HCDS), the event provided a platform for exchange, networking, and discussion around Research Software Engineering (RSE).

The program included two keynote talks addressing complementary perspectives on the growing importance of research software.

In her keynote, "Not All Heroes Wear Capes: Research Software Engineers in the German Research Ecosystem", Bernadette Fritzsch, Deputy Head of Division Computing at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, explored the increasing visibility of Research Software Engineers and the growing recognition of research software across research institutions, infrastructure initiatives, and national strategies.

Timm Lehmberg, Research Data Management and Digitalisation Officer at the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg, followed with his keynote "But in the end they do not even matter? – What's left of RDM and RSE standards in the LLM era". He reflected on two decades of research data management and research data infrastructures while discussing how Large Language Models, agentic workflows, GraphRAG, and AI-supported software development are reshaping research and DevOps practices.

Another highlight of the day was the poster session. Twenty posters from a broad range of disciplines showcased current Research Software Engineering projects and applications. Accompanied by 12 lightning talks, the session encouraged lively discussions and enabled participants to exchange ideas, methods, and experiences.

Due to the exceptional heat, the afternoon programme had to be shortened. The planned barcamp sessions and the second poster walk could not take place. Nevertheless, the poster session and networking breaks provided ample opportunities for participants to exchange ideas, discuss shared challenges, and explore future collaborations.

One of the strongest messages from participants was that an event like RSE Day had been missing in Hamburg. Many highlighted the value of strengthening the regional RSE community and creating more opportunities for cross-institutional exchange.

Encouraged by this positive feedback, the organizing team hopes to host another RSE Day next year despite limited resources—hopefully with more moderate weather conditions.

The Hub of Computing & Data Science would like to thank all keynote speakers, poster presenters, and participants for making RSE Day 2026 such a successful community event. We look forward to welcoming everyone back next year.