Senior Research Engineer- Volumetric Video Streaming

The i2CAT Foundation (Barcelona) is opening a position to advance in the research and innovation field of real-time distributed video services, involving immersive media formats like volumetric video.

The candidate will join the Media & Internet Area (MIA) of i2CAT, which is composed of over 18 experienced researchers and engineers in the fields of distributed and interactive multimedia systems and media processing, and is involved in relevant R&I projects with the European and national ecosystems, in close collaboration with key players from academia and industry.

This area is seeking a highly Research Engineer with experience in volumetric video streaming to join our development team. The ideal candidate should have experience with video codecs and low-level programming (C/C++). Additionally, having experience in GPGPU (such as CUDA/OpenCL) is a plus. The candidate will be in charge of maintaining and adding new features to the volumetric video compression pipeline.

Moreover, the candidate will be involved in cutting-edge research, innovation and development tasks that will shape the future of HoloMIT, collaborating hand-in-hand with experts in the media and networks domains under the umbrella of competitive national and international projects (Horizon Europe, European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking, SNS JU), including collaboration with highly relevant international partners from academia and industry.

The results from the planned research and development activities are expected to lead to high-impact scientific publications, technology/knowledge transfer (e.g., open-source software, patents, contributions to standards), resulting in cutting-edge software and services (e.g., Volumetric Video Compression and Neural Radiance Fields/ Gaussian Splatting), and career development opportunities (self and of supervised highly skilled personnel).

The candidate will be involved in the development and maintenance of the volumetric video pipeline as well as being involved in the area active projects (such as Didymos, XRECO, and PRESENCE).

Some candidate duties:

• Maintenance of the volumetric video pipeline
• Third-party technologies integration and innovation
• New features development and enhancement of existing ones

Who we are:

The i2CAT Foundation is a non-profit research and innovation center that promotes mission-driven R&D activities on advanced Internet architectures, applications, and services. More than 15 years of international research define our expertise in the fields of 5G, IoT, VR, and Immersive Technologies, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, AI, and Digital Social Innovation. The center partners with companies, public administration, academia, and end-users to leverage this knowledge in order to meet real social and business challenges.

The greatest value of i2CAT is the talent of the people who make up our human team. We enjoy a team of people from more than 13 different nationalities and work every day to create and foster a work environment where we all feel comfortable creating, innovating and growing.

What will you enjoy?

• Work from our offices or from home, whichever works best for you. We only ask for one day in person at the office to coordinate with the rest of the team.
• This is a full-time vacancy.
• We have a flexible work schedule respecting your work-life balance.
• Reduced working hours on Fridays and in July and August.
• Fixed + variable salary based on objectives.
• You decide whether you prefer to receive your salary in 12 or 14 payments.
• Optional benefits: Configure your salary according to your needs. We offer you the option of restaurant vouchers, public transport vouchers, nursery services, and medical insurance.
• Annual leave of 27 working days.
• We have fruit in the office to promote a healthy lifestyle.
• Free coffee and tea.
• If you are interested, you can participate in events of your sector.
• You will work with a laptop. You can choose your operating system, Mac, Linux, or Windows.
• Company social and team-building events (virtual & in-person).
• You can develop your own personal training programme with our support.
• We will work so that you have a career plan to promote your growth and development.

Where will you do it?

At i2CAT we already have an established ‘work-from-home’ policy for some time. You can work from home or from the office, whichever suits you best. We expect that you attend the office one day per week to stay connected with your team and to engage with other colleagues.

If you decide to come to the office, we are located in Zona Universitària, next to the Campus Nord of the UPC, within a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment. It is a very well-connected area (metro, tram, bus) with bars and restaurants around.

Our offices are designed with an open-office concept where everything is light and transparent. We have a variety of workspaces so that you don't have to be at the same table all day.

i2CAT is an organization committed to equal opportunities. That is why we seek to increase the number of women in those areas where they are underrepresented, and therefore explicitly encourage female candidates to apply.

I2CAT is an organization committed to creating an environment where we celebrate diversity, and where we provide the dedicated support that our employees need, regardless of their disability.

If what you have read sounds good to you... let’s have a coffee and we will tell you more!