Your group

EMBL Imaging Centre

Your supervisor

Timo Zimmermann

Your role 

The Software Engineer develops and sustains software that enables advanced light- and electron-microscopy platforms at the EMBL Imaging Centre. Working with engineers, physicists, biologists and research users, the role translates scientific and operational needs into reliable, maintainable solutions for instrument control, automation and real-time data workflows. The postholder owns delivery across the software lifecycle, makes technical decisions within agreed objectives and operates with substantial day-to-day autonomy while collaborating closely on system-level design. The role strengthens the Centre’s capacity to deliver innovative imaging capabilities to EMBL and the wider life-science community.

Responsibilities:

• Own the development, operation and lifecycle evolution of the microscopy-control software platform, enabling reliable automation and streamlined workflows.

• Design and integrate software and electronic control components that enable new instrument capabilities, data acquisition and real-time analysis.

• Translate scientific and user requirements into maintainable control schemes and user interfaces with engineers, physicists, biologists and research users.

• Establish and apply professional software-engineering practices across architecture, testing, version control, documentation, sharing, deployment and long-term maintenance.

• Evaluate and introduce suitable approaches, including AI-enabled automation, where they improve robustness, reproducibility or scientific value.

• Diagnose and resolve complex software–hardware integration issues, balancing performance, usability, reliability and research needs.

• Maintain records that support reproducibility, knowledge transfer, dissemination and future development.

• Provide expert support and enable effective use of the platforms by EMBL and external researchers.

Skills, Experience and Qualifications

You have:

• MSc or similar degree in software engineering, computer science, engineering, physics or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.

• Demonstrated experience developing maintainable software for hardware control, scientific instrumentation or similarly complex technical systems.

• Advanced software-development skills in one or more relevant programming languages or development environments, such as C++, Python, LabVIEW, Java or MATLAB.

• Experience designing graphical user interfaces for instrumentation control, using frameworks such as Qt or Tk, and integrating software components across processes or programming languages.

• Strong software-engineering capability across architecture, integration, testing, documentation, software sharing and long-term maintenance, including experience using version-control systems such as Git.

• The ability to collaborate with software and hardware engineers, physicists, biologists and other stakeholders, translating scientific requirements into technical solutions and communicating clearly with non-specialists.

You may also have:

• Experience developing low-level, embedded or real-time control systems using languages, platforms or environments such as C, Rust, Arduino, microcontrollers, NI Real-Time or NI FPGA.

• Experience programming specialist computing hardware, including FPGAs or GPUs, using technologies such as CUDA, VHDL, Verilog or Xilinx Vivado, particularly for high-speed or real-time image-data processing.

• Experience integrating scientific instruments and hardware—including cameras, detectors, positioning stages, lasers and data-acquisition devices—using relevant communication protocols such as MQTT, ideally within microscopy, bioimaging or adaptive hardware-control workflows.

Contract length: 3 years

Salary: Grade 6 with a monthly salary starting from 4.713.20 EUR net of tax, excluding health insurance and pension contributions, plus additional EMBL benefits.

Application process:

We look forward to receiving your application. Please submit your CV and a cover letter through our online application system.

In your cover letter, we invite you to highlight how your experience, expertise, and professional background would contribute to the Imaging Centre’s mission of delivering and continuously expanding cutting-edge imaging services.

The selection process will consist of two interview stages. Shortlisted candidates will first be invited to an online interview following the application deadline. Candidates progressing to the second stage will then be invited for an on-site interview.

Further information about the position can be obtained from Timo Zimmermann ([email protected]).

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. 

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (Heidelberg), library, subsidised on-site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances

• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

• For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date