Voting for the 12 trustees of the newly formed Society of Research Software Engineering will close at midnight on Friday 11 October and all members are encouraged to vote. 

“This is your chance to influence how the Society is established,” said election scrutineer Mark Turner, head of Research Software Engineering at the University of Newcastle. 

“Membership numbers are still relatively low, so each vote really counts and can make a huge difference,” he said. 

This year’s votes will also have more influence because of the way the board is being set up, said Rob Haines, Head of Research IT at the University of Manchester, and the Society’s second election scrutineer.

“Voters have a lot of influence at this stage because all 12 Trustees are being chosen. In future, members will only vote on six out of the twelve members each year. There will undoubtedly be more members by next year, too - so this year’s votes really count. 

“That also means it’s important that people choose the right candidates who reflect what they want to see on the board. We hope to have a diverse board, and to see people who will put in the time and have a strong voice. Read the manifestos, and if you see something you like, vote for that person!”

Each member can vote for up to six Trustees out of the 16 people standing for election. A total of 12 people will be chosen for the board.

Each would-be Trustee has laid out their manifesto here, and the voting form is available at the bottom of that page. 

Votes are carefully checked by Turner and Haines to ensure that the voter is a member, and that they have only voted once. 

“We are both founding Trustees of the Society, but felt we couldn’t continue due to work commitments. Instead, we have commited to checking all the voting is done correctly,” Turner said.

It has been satisfying to see the grass roots RSE movement develop into a formal Society, Turner said. 

“We are both really pleased to see the Association develop into an official charity and feel confident we can hand over the reins now,” he said.