Research project

3D scholarship has reached a tipping point. This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic research team and collaborate with diverse stakeholders in the Netherlands and beyond to develop the first ever infrastructure for 3D scholarship.

Three-dimensional modelling and reconstructions have been used in the last thirty years across many fields in the humanities and social sciences, however, we still lack the necessary infrastructure to support this form of knowledge production. PURE3D will fill this gap through four key deliverables: 1) the development of an access infrastructure for viewing interactive 3D models (from single objects to virtual worlds) within the context of a scholarly publication format (3D Scholarly Editions); 2) a preservation repository to deposit raw files, which, due to their size, format, lack of standards etc., are typically inaccessible to researchers beyond the original creators; 3) a conceptual and methodological framework for valorising and evaluating 3D scholarship; and, 4) a centre of excellence for researchers embarking on 3D scholarship. The infrastructure will address the challenges of long-term preservation and access by archiving models and making the associated data FAIR (in collaboration with DANS) and by developing the infrastructure based on the existing CLARIAH infrastructure. Six pilot projects will be used as test beds:

• Vlooienburg Jewish neighbourhood, Amsterdam (4D research Lab/UvA)
• Rembrandt’s Birthplace, Leiden (Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken)
• Maastricht 1748 (Gemeente Maastricht)
• Battle of Mount Street Bridge, Ireland (UM)
• Collection of mining lamps (Nederlands Mijnmuseum)
• Collection of modern art (Museum van Bommel van Dam)

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic research team and collaborate with diverse stakeholders in the Netherlands and beyond to develop a Virtual Research Environment (an infrastructure) for 3D scholarship. The ideal candidate will be a team player as s/he will be working together with the UM Staff (PIs, postdoc, research assistant) and the project partners to lead the technical development of the 3D infrastructure. S/he will work together with CLARIAH and DANS as a team to design, develop, and deploy the portal that will provide access to interactive 3D scholarship, ensuring that shared project goals are met and that building blocks developed interoperate with existing infrastructures and standards. For this reason, the successful candidate will also spend time with the CLARIAH team and will receive from them the necessary support and supervision. For this, it is also expected that the candidate may need to travel to and stay in Amsterdam for the time they will be working with CLARIAH.

The research software engineer is expected to define, together with other stakeholders and the project team, requirements, specifications, and standards for the 3D infrastructure; design, develop, and implement prototypes of the infrastructure, lead its implementation and rigorous testing, and validate its various elements based on user requirements and the pilot projects. Experience with User Interface Design will be considered a plus. The work of the postdoc (wireframes, mock-ups, user requirements etc.) will also feed into the technical development of the infrastructure. The candidate will also have the opportunity to get involved in conference presentations, authoring research papers etc.

CLARIAH

The Common Lab Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities (CLARIAH) is a distributed research infrastructure for the humanities and social sciences. The CLARIAH infrastructure aims to provide researchers with access to large collections of digital data and to innovative and user-friendly applications for the processing of these data. The data and applications are managed and developed in a sustainable manner so that they can also be useful in the future for researchers: from literary researchers, historians and archaeologists to linguists, speech technologists and media scientists.

DANS

DANS (Data Archiving and Networked Services) is the Netherlands Institute for permanent access to digital research resources. DANS encourages researchers to make their digital research data and related outputs Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. It provides expert advice and certified services. Its core services are: DataverseNL for short-term data management, EASY for long-term archiving, and NARCIS, the national portal for research information. By participating in (inter)national projects, networks and research, DANS contributes to continued innovation of the global scientific data infrastructure. Open if possible, protected where necessary. DANS is an institute of the Dutch Academy KNAW and funding organisation NWO.

Suitable candidates will have:

Essential:

• A degree in computer science, information science, and/or relevant experience;
•  Good analytical and communication skills;
• Experience with defining software specifications from end-user interviews;
• Experience with both creating greenfield systems and maintaining legacy systems;
• Full stack experience: i.e.

1. (Java || C#) && Python && TypeScript && React && HTML && CSS;
2.  Git, Bash, Docker;

• Good debugging skills;
• Familiarity with handling structured metadata;
• An interest in working with standardization groups in achieving interoperability across information systems;
• Prior experience with 3D data/development (Engines, OpenGL etc.), or a willingness to learn the basics of 3D scholarship;
• Excellent organizational skills, plus an open and effective working style;
• Excellent written and spoken command of English (level C1 or C2, oral and written).

Desirable:

• Experience with archival systems and data exchange formats (OAI-PMH, RDF, SKOS);
• Experience in working with a diverse and inter/multi - disciplinary teams and stakeholders from different fields;
• Skills and experience in User Interface design;
• Good written and spoken command of Dutch;
• Experience with social science and/or humanities data is a plus.

We offer a dynamic and challenging job in an internationally-oriented organisation where young people receive an advanced education and scholars conduct exciting research. They will be part of an international network of top universities and renowned scholars within the field. We offer:

•  A 1 FTE appointment as research software engineer for 34 months. (The first year is a probation period, after positive assessment the position will be extended for the remaining 22 months).
• Remuneration will be according to standard salary levels, depending on education and relevant work experience. This implies a gross monthly salary between € 2.790 and € 4.402 (scale 10 of the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities).
• Each year the standard salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

The university’s relocation policy stipulates that the selected candidate must move to (the vicinity of) Maastricht. If not already living in Maastricht (or its direct surroundings), s/he will be eligible for an allowance for moving costs or for an allowance for alternative housing. Other secondary conditions include e.g. a pension scheme and partially paid parental leave as well as a shared office space and a PC.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > Support > UM employees.

Starting date: Not later than 4th of January 2021

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 18,000 students and 4,400 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.