Post-Doc in Smart Microscopy

Organisation/Company Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Research Field Physics Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 5 Jul 2026 - 00:00 (UTC) Country Italy Type of Contract Other Job Status Other Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - ERC Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Commitment & contract: collaboration contract, 24 months starting from September 2026

Step into a world of endless possibilities, together let’s leave something for the future!

At IIT, we are committed to advancing human-centered Science and Technology to address the most urgent societal challenges of our era. We foster excellence in both fundamental and applied research, spanning fields such as neuroscience and cognition, humanoid technologies and robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and material sciences, offering a truly interdisciplinary scientific experience. Our approach integrates cutting-edge tools and technology, empowering researchers to push the limits of knowledge and innovation. With us, your curiosity will know no bounds.

We provide equal employment opportunities and foster diversity in all its forms, creating an inclusive environment. We value the unique experiences, knowledge, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives of our people. By embracing diversity, we believe science can achieve its fullest potential.

THE ROLE

You will be working in a multicultural, multidisciplinary group within the Molecular Microscopy and Spectroscopy Research Unit, coordinated by Dr Giuseppe Vicidomini, which has extensive experience in advanced fluorescence microscopy, computational imaging, FPGA-based instrumentation, and photon-resolved microscopy.

In this role, you will contribute to the ERC Proof of Concept (ERC PoC) project BrightMind Grant Agreement n.101286935: An Integrated Hardware-Software Platform for Smart Photon-Resolved Microscopy, which aims to develop next-generation smart microscopy systems based on FPGA-System-on-Chip architectures, asynchronous SPAD array detectors, real-time processing, and adaptive microscope control.

Your work will primarily focus on software and control system development, including real-time photon-stream processing, embedded software architectures, FPGA-SoC integration, hardware/software co-design, and adaptive feedback control strategies for smart microscopy workflows. You will collaborate with physicists, engineers, and computational imaging researchers working on photon-resolved microscopy, adaptive optics, FPGA-based scientific instrumentation, and AI-driven microscopy workflows. In addition, you will support the training of PhD students and interns working on related projects, contributing to the growth of the team’s expertise. You will also be expected to publish your findings in scientific journals and present your results at international conferences, ensuring that the research outcomes reach the broader scientific community.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• A PhD in Electronic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or related disciplines.
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or C/C++.
• Experience in software architecture design, modular development, and maintainable codebases.
• Experience in real-time software development, signal-processing pipelines, embedded systems, FPGA-based platforms, or hardware/software design for scientific instrumentation.
• Ability to properly report, organise, and document research activities and software development.
• High motivation to learn.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment.
• Good command of spoken and written English.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

• Knowledge of microscopy, photonics, or scientific instrumentation.
• Proficiency with FPGA design environments such as VHDL, Verilog, Vivado, Vitis, HLS, or equivalent.
• Background in SoC/SoM architectures and embedded AI acceleration.
• Practical expertise in real-time control systems or adaptive feedback loops.
• Hands-on skills in data acquisition systems and high-speed communication protocols.
• Competence in GPU computing or heterogeneous computing frameworks.
• Competence in image analysis, computer vision, or computational imaging.
• Good time and priority management.

.COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• A yearly gross salary up to 35.000 Euro
• Private health care coverage, depending on your role and contract
• Candidates from abroad or Italian citizens who have carried out scientific research activity permanently abroad and meet specific requirements may be entitled to a deduction from taxable income of up to 90% for 6 to 13 years.

Please submit your application using the online form and including a detailed CV, cover letter (outlining motivation, experience, and qualifications, and why our lab), and 2 reference letters