Image Processing Scientist

Company Profile Location: Waterbeach, UK

Department: Engineering

Reports to: Chief Scientist

Type: Full-time, Permanent

Company Profile Thermoteknix Systems Ltd, founded in 1982 and based in Cambridge, is a world leader in thermal imaging, night vision, and augmented reality systems. Our award-winning technologies are trusted by defence, security, and industrial customers in over 70 countries. With in-house R&D, cutting-edge innovation, and a global reputation for quality, we design and manufacture solutions that perform in the toughest environments.

About You Role Overview Reporting to the Chief Scientist, the Image Processing Scientist will research, develop and validate algorithms for our thermal imaging cores and wider imaging product range. The role will improve image quality and system performance, taking ideas from scientific investigation and proof of concept through to validated product implementation.

This is a hands-on scientific role working closely with software, firmware, FPGA, electronics and optical engineering colleagues. You will balance image quality with real-time performance, processing power, memory and power consumption, ensuring algorithms work reliably beyond the laboratory.

Key Responsibilities Algorithm Research and Development

• Research and develop image processing algorithms, including noise reduction, contrast enhancement, dynamic range compression and detail enhancement.
• Develop detector correction and calibration methods, including non-uniformity correction, defective pixel compensation, temperature drift compensation and shutterless processing.
• Investigate image registration, thermal and visible image fusion, stabilisation and multi-frame processing where these offer practical product benefits.
• Review relevant research and emerging techniques, including machine learning where appropriate, and assess their feasibility and value for Thermoteknix products.

Prototyping, Implementation and Product Support

• Prototype algorithms using Python, MATLAB or similar tools, and work with engineering teams to implement and optimise them for real-time embedded platforms.
• Support product development and the investigation of production or customer image quality issues, recommending and validating corrective improvements.

Testing, Validation and Image Quality Analysis

• Design laboratory experiments and field evaluations; define meaningful image quality metrics and assess performance using representative image datasets and operating conditions.
• Analyse image artefacts and performance limitations, investigating interactions between detectors, optics, electronics and processing software.
• Quantify algorithm improvements and trade-offs, assess failure cases and validate robustness across changes in scene content, temperature and motion.

Documentation and Research Planning

• Maintain clear algorithm specifications, documented code, experimental records and test reports so that results are reproducible and implementation is traceable.
• Work with the Chief Scientist to define research priorities, assess technical risks and contribute to design reviews and the protection of intellectual property.

Required Skills & Experience

• A degree in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Practical experience developing and evaluating digital image processing or closely related signal processing algorithms, gained in industry or applied research.
• Strong mathematical and analytical skills, including statistics, linear algebra, numerical methods and spatial or frequency-domain processing.
• Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for scientific computing, data analysis and algorithm prototyping, with experience in C or C++ for implementation or optimisation.
• A sound understanding of imaging fundamentals, including noise, signal-to-noise ratio, sampling, resolution and calibration.
• The ability to design experiments, analyse image datasets and compare results objectively against defined performance requirements.
• A structured approach to software development, testing, version control and technical documentation.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to explain scientific findings and work effectively with colleagues across engineering disciplines.

Desirable Skills & Experience

• An MSc or PhD in image processing, computer vision, imaging science or a related field.
• Experience with thermal or infrared imaging, particularly uncooled microbolometer detectors and their correction and calibration requirements.
• Experience with real-time embedded image processing, FPGA or DSP implementation, GPU acceleration or optimisation for constrained hardware.
• Knowledge of image fusion, registration, motion estimation, stabilisation, deconvolution or super-resolution.
• Experience applying machine learning to imaging problems, including validation and deployment on embedded platforms.
• Experience transferring research algorithms into commercial products and supporting their verification and release.

Personal Attributes You will be curious, methodical and practical, with the persistence to investigate difficult problems and the judgement to recognise when an approach is ready for product use. You will be comfortable working independently, sharing findings openly and adapting priorities as research and product requirements develop.

Why us? Thermoteknix offers the opportunity to develop advanced image processing technologies within an established, independent British engineering company. Working closely with the Chief Scientist and wider R&D team, you will have considerable technical variety and responsibility, taking algorithms from initial research and experimental prototypes through to thermal imaging and augmented reality products used by customers worldwide.