[full-time][on-site] Motion Capture Specialist / Technical Animator - The Netherlands

Vacancy link: https://www.mpi.nl/career-education/vacancies/vacancy/motion-capture-specialist-technical-animator

The Technical Group of the Max Planck Institute for Pyscholinguistics is offering a full-time position from May 1st, 2023 for a technical expert with knowledge of motion capture and 3D character animation.

The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics has a large number of experimental rooms in which the psychological, social and biological foundations of language are researched with the help of test subjects. Outside the institute, our researchers also collect data with modern audio/video EEG and eye-tracking equipment.

A new motion capture lab and a new VR lab (consisting of a VR CAVE system) will be set up to equip the newly founded Multimodal Language department. We are looking for an expert to help plan, set up and use these labs.

Motion data obtained in the motion capture lab will be transferred to avatars, which can then be used in experiments in the VR lab. You will have the opportunity to work with the most high-end motion capture hardware available such as Vicon tracking systems. On the software side, we work with Maya, Unity and Unreal Engine. Programming skills in C#, C++, Blueprints and Python are an advantage.

Tasks

• Planning and design of equipment to build a motion capture lab.
• Assembly and commissioning of the components together with a company.
• Conducting pilot experiments and optimizing the entire workflow.
• Organization and direction of motion capture sessions
• Clean up motion capture data (body and face) and make sure it’s ready for experiment usage.
• Research the latest technologies and workflows and implement these in projects.

Requirements

• General technical animation knowledge such as rigging and animation retargeting
• Technical education at HBO or Bachelor level with specific knowledge in the field of VR technology.
• Experience in programming or scripting to automate various processes. Specific knowledge of the above software is not a prerequisite, but would be an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills and a service-oriented attitude.
• Good knowledge of the English language (spoken and written).

Conditions of employment

• Position available from 1st May 2023, though start date is negotiable
• This position is for 39 hours a week; exact working days and number of hours can be discussed.
• The position will be offered for 5 years.
• Depending on the experience of the applicant, the salary will be between EUR 3.752,91 and EUR 5.977,00 EUR (excluding 8% holiday allowance), based on a full-time employment (39 hours per week).
• An allowance of 30 days annual leave (based on a full-time employment) and the German as well as the Dutch public holidays.

Application procedure
The deadline for applications is midnight (CEST) on Monday March 13th, 2023. Please submit your application directly via this link on our recruitment portal.

Applications should include:

1. A cover letter outlining your motivation to apply and detailing how you fit the requirements above
2. A current CV, listing relevant experience
3. Transcripts of courses, and grades achieved, from relevant Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree
4. The names and contact details of two referees (referees will not be contacted unless you are invited to interview)

For technical questions about the skills and experienced needed for the post, please contact the Head of the MPI’s Technical Group, Reiner Dirksmeyer (Reiner.Dirksmeyer@mpi.nl)

Employer

The Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen is a research institute entirely devoted to the study of language. Our goal is to understand how our minds and brains process language, how language interacts with other aspects of mind, and how we can learn languages of quite different types. We are situated on the campus of the Radboud University, and have close collaborative links with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. We also work closely with other child development researchers as part of the Baby and Child Research Center. Staff and students at the MPI have access to state-of-the art research and training facilities (including audio-visual equipment, EEG, fMRI, eye tracking, virtual reality labs, molecular biology labs and a child-friendly child development lab).

We are part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association of German-funded research institutes dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities. The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise the positive value of diversity, promote equality and challenge discrimination. We therefore welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, disability, marital or parental status, racial, ethnic or social origin, colour, religion, belief, or sexual orientation (https://www.mpi.nl/page/equal-opportunities).