Research Software Engineer (f/m/x) 3D Visualization Web Application
- Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ
- Leipzig, Germany
- 23/07/2026
Job Description
Place of work
Leipzig, Mobile working is possible in coordination with supervisorWorking time
100% (39h/week)The job position is available for full-time or part-time employment.
Contract limitations
limited contract / Position limited to 3 years.Salary
Remuneration according to the TVöD public-sector up to pay grade 13 including attractive public-sector social security benefits.Contact
Your contact for any questions you may have about the job:
karsten.rink@ufz.de, christoph.lehmann@ufz.de, haibing.shao@ufz.de
Your application
To ensure a fair selection process , please submit your application (cover letter, CV, and relevant supporting documents) via our online portal without a photo , age information, or details about your marital status.
Diversity and Inclusion
The UFZ values diversity and is actively committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all employees, regardless of their origin, religion, beliefs, disability, age or sexual identity.
We welcome people who represent diverse backgrounds, identities and perspectives. We therefore particularly encourage people who are affected by structural discrimination to apply to us.
The UFZ
The Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) is a world-leading institution in environmental research and a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest scientific organization. With approximately 1,200 employees across Leipzig, Halle, and Magdeburg, we have been conducting research since 1991 using a transdisciplinary approach to address the most pressing challenges of our time: biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental pollution. Our goal is to translate excellent research into practical solutions for policymakers, business, and society, and to serve as a reliable partner in supporting transformation processes toward a sustainable and just future for current and future generations. We foster a culture of collaboration, openness, and diversity within a work environment that actively promotes creativity and personal development.
The job
We are looking for a reseach software engineer to develop together with us our next generation 3D visualization software for OpenGeoSys. The software integrates geoscientific data from various sources, numerical models and simulation results in a common interface. It will support the work of researchers, developers, numerical modellers and users from our application areas: geothermal energy, energy storage and safe nuclear waste disposal.
The application is targeted at desktops and tablets on a multitude of different operating systems. It will lift the usability of our software and workflows to the next level, providing a visual representation of numerical models together with relevant context information from the application background in a unified environment. The application will become a central part of our software ecosystem (which includes the C++ FEM simulation code OpenGeoSys, its Python toolsuite OGSTools and numerous visualization solutions based on the Unity and Unreal engine).
We are an interdisciplinary team of visualization experts, software developers, natural scientists and engineers. We build high quality, robust (research) software that makes the difference for our domain experts and collaborators. And we are looking for you to strengthen our team!
Your tasks
- Building an interactive web application for 3D visualizations based on Trame
- Developing and evaluating suitable visualization methods for heterogeneous data collections and multivariate data
- Implementing data processing workflows as a prerequisite for visualization
- Connecting the application to external databases and GIS systems
- Interfacing the application with simulation tools (most notably OpenGeoSys) leveraging synergies with the existing OGSTools suite
- Documenting the developed software and presenting it to collaborators and at conferences/workshops
We offer
- The freedom to master even the most demanding challenges between basic research and practical application
- The chance to work in interdisciplinary, international teams and benefit from a variety of perspectives
- First-class integration into national and international research networks to work together on global challenges
- Excellent research infrastructure and research data management to optimally support your work
- Flexible working hours and a wide range of options for balancing work and care responsibilities through our family office
- Competent support and advice for international colleagues arriving at the UFZ from the 'International Office'
- Special annual payment, capital-forming benefits and subsidized Germany Job Ticket
- A workplace in a vibrant region with a high quality of life and social and cultural diversity
Your profile
- A university degree (MSc or higher) in a project-related field (STEM)
- In-depth knowledge of VTK and ParaView
- Experience with scientific 3D/4D visualization
- Experience in UI Design
- Solid experience with Python including libraries such as Trame, PyVista or geopandas
- Proven software development skills including a good understanding of best practices and a sense of good software architecture
- Software testing experience including automated UI tests
- Experience with any of the following will be helpful:
- (Research) data management including meta data handling
- Web technologies (JavaScript, CSS, etc.)
- Geographic Information Systems (eg ArcGis, QGIS, etc.) and geoscientific file formats
- Numerical modeling (eg FEM/FVM/FDM methods and/or respective simulation software)
- Database interfaces, geo-databases and web services
- Meshing software, ideally open-source software (eg GMSH, TetGen, etc.) and libraries such as GDAL or CGAL#
- Software to create geological models (eg GOCAD, Leapfrog, GMS, etc.),
Application deadline: August 20, 2026
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