Research Engineer – Real-Time Visualization

MBZUAI is seeking a Real-Time Visualization Research Engineer to contribute to a Multiscale Biology Visualization AI project. The goal of the project is to build an interactive multiscale biology visualization platform that integrates procedural, algorithm-driven geometry modeling with biological AI model outputs and deliver high-performance scientific visualization on web applications.

The Research Engineer will design and implement real-time, browser-based 2D and 3D visualization systems, enabling scalable rendering of complex cellular structures and large multi-scale biological scenes.

Key Responsibilities

Real-Time Rendering & Visualization

• Develop interactive 2D and 3D biology visualization applications in the browser using React, TypeScript, and WebGPU.
• Design and implement rendering pipelines for meshes, curves, point clouds, compartmental representations, and related geometric structures.
• Implement efficient scene management, level-of-detail (LOD) systems, camera controls, and annotation overlays.
• Optimize frame time, memory footprint, and loading performance for large, multi-scale scenes.

Pipeline Integration & Architecture

• Collaborate with the procedural geometry team to define clean and scalable interfaces between generator outputs and rendering inputs.
• Ensure rendering pipelines are modular, maintainable, and compatible with evolving upstream biological AI components.

Performance Optimization & Quality

• Apply GPU optimization techniques and performance profiling to ensure smooth, real-time user interaction.
• Contribute to code quality, automated testing, documentation, and reproducibility standards.

Collaboration & Research Contribution

• Work closely with computational biologists, geometry modeling engineers, and AI researchers.

Academic Qualifications Required

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Graphics, Software Engineering, or a related field. A PhD in a relevant discipline will be preferred.

Professional Experience Required

Essential:

• Hands-on experience with real-time graphics pipelines using OpenGL, Vulkan, WebGPU, WebGL, Three.js, or similar technologies (WebGPU preferred).
• Strong understanding of 2D and 3D geometry, coordinate systems, mesh formats, shading techniques, and performance profiling.
• Proficiency in TypeScript/JavaScript and frontend engineering using React.js.
• Demonstrated ability to build production-quality scientific visualization tools with strong UI/UX considerations.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with structural biology terminology or biological data representations.
• Experience in biomedical or scientific visualization.
• Knowledge of GPU optimization, custom shader development, and geometry processing techniques.