Our friends at Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt (HSHL) are looking for a research associate (all genders) for creating, developing and managing Digital Locations, which is also called “DigiLoc” . Bring your environment skills into applied research and help turn real filming locations into digital spaces for scouting, previs and virtual production. Based in Lippstadt, the full-time position starts as soon as possible, runs until 29 February 2028 and is graded E 13 TV-L. Part-time employment may be possible.
Your role
Help make real filming locations useful long before a crew arrives on set. DigiLoc aims to let filmmakers explore and compare digital locations, assess their creative, technical and logistical suitability, and use them for planning, previs and virtual production. Your work connects captured location data with the environments filmmakers will actually work in.
You will create photorealistic realtime environments for film and LED stages, developing workflows that turn point clouds and scan data into amazing polygons. In Unreal Engine, you will design, optimise and integrate environments, vegetation and other scene elements. The practical challenge is to preserve the character of a real place while preparing it for interactive use.
You will investigate reconstruction and representation methods, particularly 3D Gaussian Splatting, and evaluate their suitability for digital locations. This is applied research: assessing a method’s usefulness matters alongside producing a convincing image.
The role also involves coordinating collaboration and correspondence with universities, the project’s funding-management organisation, companies, public authorities and other partners like Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, research initiative Digital Locations, the Fernseh und Kinotechnische Gesellschaft (FKTG), the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), and systems integrator ICT AG. You will document and scientifically analyse methods and results, write and present research publications, and provide subject-specific guidance and supervision to participating students.
Your profile
You hold a good master’s degree or university diploma, preferably in media informatics, computer graphics, game development, digital media or a comparable discipline. That academic background supports the research side of the position: investigating approaches, evaluating outcomes and explaining your findings.
You bring solid Unreal Engine knowledge and experience creating and optimising photorealistic 3D environments. Practical experience processing point clouds and scan data into polygonal models and realtime scenes is important. These skills connect directly to DigiLoc’s goal of bringing captured locations into production tools, where they can support creative decisions and technical planning.
Knowledge of SpeedTree or comparable vegetation tools is expected, together with experience using relevant modelling, texturing and optimisation software. Vegetation is an explicit part of the environment work; your broader 3D toolkit helps turn individual captured and created elements into a coherent scene.
Knowledge and hands-on experience with Gaussian Splats are advantages, as are C++ programming skills, particularly within Unreal Engine. These are desirable additions rather than stated mandatory requirements: they complement the project’s investigation of reconstruction methods and its technical environment work.
Why join HSHL?
Good work deserves a working environment that supports it. HSHL offers flexible working hours and home-office options, alongside family support and coaching to help work fit different stages of life. Training and professional-development opportunities give you room to keep learning, while structured onboarding and regular feedback help you find your feet and plan your next steps. You will work on a modern campus with ergonomic workstations and access to health and wellbeing activities. Public-transport connections, campus parking, charging facilities and a canteen take care of the everyday practicalities. Just as valuable is the chance to work in a university community that encourages collaboration, independent working and active participation. If you enjoy developing ideas with others and want your technical skills to contribute to research and the next generation of talent, this is an opportunity to take seriously.
Meet HSHL and your new workplace
Hochschule Hamm-Lippstadt is a public university of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with campuses in Hamm and Lippstadt. Founded in 2009, it combines practice-oriented teaching and applied research across engineering, natural sciences, computing and business. Your workplace for this role is Campus Lippstadt, at Dr.-Arnold-Hueck-Straße 3. Set in the central but green “Himmelreich” area, the campus brings together laboratories, a media centre, a library and shared spaces for students and researchers. The railway station is around 15 minutes away on foot, with a direct bus connection to campus. Beyond the university, Lippstadt has a technology-focused economy spanning automotive electronics, automation and other engineering industries, alongside the CARTEC technology centre.
Two opportunities at HSHL
HSHL currently has two research vacancies in this area. This advertisement focuses on DigiLoc; our next article will introduce the ProSys OSVP position, which centres on production-support systems for on-set virtual production using a digital twin. Different research focus, another opportunity to put your technical skills to work.
https://bewerbermanagement.net/jobposting/b6db71b8f638083503d51c265abc10f9f18bd1ea0
Apply by 20 October 2026
Ready to bring your skills to DigiLoc? Read the full vacancy and apply through HSHL’s online application portal by 20 October 2026.
