Visualisation & XR Advisor

Do you have the technical expertise to develop visualization and XR projects, such as visualizing research data or creating an eXtended Reality (XR) proof-of-concept? Do you have a strong affinity for scientific research? Do you enjoy working in a small team with other experts in this field? Do you like keeping up with national and international developments? And does the idea of working in an environment with ICT services and innovation for education and research appeal to you? Then read on!

Where you will work

SURF is the ICT cooperative for Dutch educational and research institutions. Together with them, we work on digital services and complex innovation challenges to enhance the quality of education and research.

Within the new Advanced Research Solutions department (effective January 1, 2026), the Visualization & XR team will become part of the Applications & Technologies unit. This department will include various teams that provide compute and data services, such as the Snellius National Supercomputer, as well as teams working on AI and machine learning, and research infrastructures.

The team you will join

The Visualization & XR team has specific expertise in data visualization, 3D graphics, and eXtended Reality (XR). We carry out visualization projects for research and education, offer user support and provide training courses, perform technology assessments, and contribute to SURF events.

The team consists of consultants who work independently on projects: they often combine technical work with project coordination and contact with clients and stakeholders. We are a small team that brings together different backgrounds and areas of expertise, with an informal atmosphere and a passion for data visualization and 3D graphics, XR, and research and education.

Working at SURF means working for a unique and open organization. This is evident in everything: the structure of the organization, the setup of the project teams, the culture in our offices, and the atmosphere among colleagues. SURF offers excellent terms of employment and is flexible when it comes to work/life balance. Employees enjoy working independently. In addition, everyone is given the space and freedom to use and develop their talents as effectively and broadly as possible.

What you will do

SURF acts as a connecting party at the heart of developments in research and education in the Netherlands. The focus is on service provision and innovation. In this position, you will contribute your technical expertise in the field of visualization and XR. Projects often involve the use of different infrastructures and devices, such as the Snellius National Supercomputer or XR headsets. You will work with various groups within and outside SURF, both in an executive and advisory capacity. This may involve visualization activities with compute users, XR labs at the institutions, or within a European project. In addition, you will be an internal sparring partner for existing services and internal projects.

The team members have a focus on technology, research, and public values. The same applies to the field outside SURF. The sectors of vocational education, higher professional education, university education, and university medical centers are part of the SURF cooperative. They often approach and use visualization and XR in slightly different ways, each with their own focus and challenges. But that is precisely where we at SURF seek to make connections, so that we can advance the entire cooperative.

What else are you involved in?

• You contribute to and develop projects and experiments—including at the European level—and demos in which (scientific) visualization, 3D, and XR play an important role.
• You keep track of relevant national and international developments that are important for the use of visualization and XR in research and education, for example in the field of standardization.
• You keep track of relevant (technical) developments and trends in visualization and XR, including links to other technology areas such as AI/ML, 5G, and IoT.
• You contribute to SURF's internal planning and strategic roadmap for visualization and XR, including identifying potential services.
• You maintain contact and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including the various teams within SURF that work on services and innovation, and visualization and XR users at the institutions;
• You contribute to events and other activities of SURF, with results in visualization and XR.

Your skills and experience

• You can work and think from a technical perspective without losing sight of end users, services, and higher-level processes.
• You are flexible and can be deployed for both technical and less technical tasks.
• You have demonstrable (technical) hands-on experience with software development for (scientific) visualization, 3D, or XR. In addition, you have experience with commonly used software for scientific visualization such as ParaView or VTK, or Unity/Unreal for XR projects, or Blender for 3D projects.
• Experience with one or more of the following topics is an advantage: high-performance computing; (real-time) research workflows; use of AI/ML for visualization or XR;
• You have a relevant higher professional education or university degree, such as computer science or game studies; you also have good verbal and written communication skills in Dutch and English;
• You have an affinity for education and research, and innovation with technology in general.

Prior to starting this job, a VOG must be presented.

SURF takes pleasure in doing its recruitment itself; acquisition is therefore not appreciated.