Detector Software Engineer

Lund University, Scientific Data

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Your Team

You will join the Scientific Data group of the Technical Division, an international team responsible for data acquisition from state-of-the-art detector systems through to the development and support of software projects for data analysis and visualisation at the beamline experimental stations.

The detectors used for recording data at the beamlines are a crucial aspect of the MAX IV scientific infrastructure, demanding specialised and dedicated support. In this domain we are looking for a Detector Software Engineer to work on the integration, commissioning and operations support of the detectors plus the ongoing development and maintenance of the associated DAQ software.

The main role of the successful candidate will be to ensure the optimal operation of the commercially-supplied detectors, both position measuring and energy resolving, especially megapixel photon-counting detectors and sCMOS cameras. Here we deal with challenging high data rates and large data volumes using modern software frameworks and computing infrastructure, integrated into high performance and sustainable services. The successful candidate will work closely with the beamline scientists in order to understand their detector requirements and deliver the optimal detector performance for different experimental techniques, while also contributing to the overall software ecosystem for data acquisition within the MAX IV edge-cloud environment. There is also scope to seek out collaborations with other institutes who are engaged in detector research and development in order to bring custom solutions to the MAX IV beam lines where needed. We encourage participation in international conferences and workshops through articles and presentations.

Your primary responsibilities will include

• Integration of detectors into control and DAQ pipelines and support of these systems in operation, combining an understanding of the underlying principles of operation of the detectors with the ability to deliver robust scientific software engineering solutions
• Liaising with commercial and non-commercial detector suppliers, trouble shooting new and existing detectors, following up with suppliers on fixes and updates
• Contribution to the development of the underlying general DAQ system
• Understand the detector needs of the beam lines and advise during procurement of detector systems
• Carry out Site Acceptance Tests and other performance and characterization tests of different detectors (photon counting, charge integrating, energy resolving…)
• Produce documentation for the support of the installed detector systems

To be successful in this role you need to have the following qualifications

• Degree in physics, engineering, computer science or equivalent qualifications or experience
• Experience working with (ideally photon) detectors for scientific applications and an understanding of their operating principles
• A proven ability in software development and data analysis in a high-level programming language (Python, C++, Rust...) in a Linux environment
• Good communication skills, ability to interact effectively with staff at all levels in and outside MAX IV
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Below are seen as merits

• Advanced degree (PhD) in a relevant field
• Experience with commercial X-ray detector systems typically found at synchrotron beamlines
• Experience in detector development for synchrotron applications
• Experience with high performance/distributed computing and networking
• Experience with analysis of data in HDF5 format
• Working experience at synchrotrons or other large experimental facilities
• Familiarity with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) practices.
• Familiarity with containerisation technologies and Kubernetes for software and service
• deployment
• Experience working with FPGAs using HLS (e.g. Vivado) and/or OpenCL
• Experience of the Timepix3 ASIC

As a person you

• Have strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues across all levels, both within and outside the organisation.
• Are a self-starter with a passion for learning new technologies
• Take initiative to solve problems
• Are creative, flexible and performance oriented
• Have an ability to cooperate and work with others as part of a multi-disciplinary team