Software Scientist / Software Scientistess / Research Software Engineer / Research Software Engineeress

Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) - February 1, 2026

Your Tasks

  • Develop, maintain, and support the high-level measurement orchestration software for experiments at the Swiss Light Source (SLS): BEC (Beamline Experiment Control) and the BEC Widgets GUI framework.
  • Enable time-critical experiments by supporting scientists before, during, and after measurements, assisting with the use, extension, and integration of new functionalities into the existing system.
  • Act as a translator and facilitator between scientists and specialists across a wide range of disciplines, bridging gaps in collaborative discussions and code development.
  • Contribute expertise to ongoing and future projects by enhancing GUIs, tools, and libraries, including contributions to upstream open-source projects.
  • Collaborate closely with scientists and expert groups across PSI, as well as colleagues from other national and international institutions.

Your Profile

  • PhD degree in natural science, computer science, engineering, or mathematics, or equivalent professional experience.
  • Proven expertise in developing high-quality scientific software solutions in Python, adhering to best practices (version control, CI/CD, testing, documentation).
  • Experience with GUI toolkits (especially Qt), intuitive GUI/UX design, and web app development using modern frameworks.
  • Previous exposure to large-scale control systems (especially EPICS) and hardware integration.
  • Interest in AI tooling for software engineering and development workflows.
  • Willingness to occasionally travel to workshops and conferences, with flexibility in working hours if required by project deadlines or incident response.
  • Strong communication skills, a team-oriented mindset, and fluency in English (spoken and written), with a willingness to learn German.

We Offer

Our institution fosters interdisciplinary, innovative, and dynamic collaboration. You will benefit from systematic on-the-job training, personal development opportunities, and a strong vocational training culture. We are committed to supporting a healthy work-life balance and accommodating your personal interests through our modern employment conditions and on-site infrastructure.

This is a permanent position.

For further information, please contact Sven Augustin at sven.augustin@psi.ch.

Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

Paul Scherrer Institute, Human Resources Management, Adrian Kirsch, 5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.

Location : Villigen PSI
Country : Switzerland

Application Form

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