Research Software Engineer for Experimental Materials Science

Research Software Engineer for Experimental Materials Science

Join our team!

FAIRmat is seeking an experimental materials scientist with strong interest in scientific software and data infrastructure (TV‑L E13). Join the dynamic FAIRmat team at its headquarters at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and work towards shaping the future of research data management and materials science!

All genders are encouraged to apply.

Details

Position: Research Software Engineer for Experimental Materials Science

Employment Type: Full-time

Salary: equivalent to TV‑L E13

Location: On‑site position at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Berlin‑Adlershof

Limited until (with the prospect of extension in a second project phase)

Job Description

As part of our team, you will:

• Develop materials synthesis and characterization–specific aspects within the FAIRmat consortium
• Contribute to the development of NOMAD, a web‑based application for managing, visualizing, and sharing scientific data with a focus on data from experiments
• Build and establish software tools, data models, standards and ontologies for materials experiments and harmonize them with data from synthesis & theory
• Support and guide users in adopting and integrating these tools into their research data management workflows
• Collaborate with partner institutes, including short‑term and occasional longer visits, and actively present FAIRmat and NOMAD developments at conferences and workshops
• Disseminate project results in international peer‑reviewed journals

Requirements

To thrive in this role, you should bring:

• An academic degree at Master’s level or higher in physics, chemistry, materials science, computer science, or another relevant field
• Solid understanding of experimental workflows in materials science, including:
  materials synthesis with a focus on synthesis data, metadata, and workflows across different preparation routes, and/or
  materials characterization, from data acquisition to processing and analysis
• Good programming skills in Python
• Experience in software development with Linux and Git
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with experts from diverse scientific backgrounds, fostering teamwork and shared goals
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

Desirable (but not required)

• Experience with data analysis and visualization, using APIs, and databases
• Experience with Docker or containerized workflows
• Experience in developing or working with data models or ontologies
• Exposure to machine learning methods for experimental data
• Proficiency in German is a plus

What we offer

A stimulating, multidisciplinary working environment, a pay scale classification (TV‑L), and ample development opportunities. You will work in a professional research software environment, gaining hands‑on experience in sustainable software development, data infrastructures, and collaborative workflows, enabling a career path at the interface of materials science and scientific software. The majority of the FAIRmat team is based at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. The project is funded until September 30, 2026 with prospect towards prolongation.

About FAIRmat

FAIRmat stands for FAIR Data Infrastructure for Condensed‑Matter Physics and the Chemical Physics of Solids. FAIRmat is a consortium of the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI). We are building a FAIR data infrastructure for materials science and related research areas. FAIRmat develops NOMAD — the largest database for computational materials science research data, worldwide. We are currently advancing our data infrastructure towards materials synthesis, experimental physics, theory, and data processing workflows. This new digital infrastructure, based on leading‑edge IT technologies, supports Open Data and Open Science towards data‑centric materials science.

Application

Excited by the prospect of joining us? Please submit your application as a single PDF file, which should include your motivation letter, CV, certificates, and references.

Send us your application by e‑mail to Victoria Coors and Pepe Márquez ( ).