School of Engineering - Research Staff (Software Development Engineer)

[What the role is]Republic Polytechnic’s School of Engineering is seeking one new Research Staff for a duration of 12 months to work on a project for Automated Smart Tagging for Digital Twin-Based Infrastructure Inspection and Analysis with the following. We are looking for a driven and detail-oriented Software Engineer to develop image annotation and visualization tools supporting 2D-to-3D data tagging in infrastructure inspection applications. You will work closely with engineers and domain specialists to build intuitive web-based platforms that process, tag, and visualize visual datasets from drones and manual inspections. Your work will contribute to safer, smarter building and structural assessments through digital twin and AI-driven analysis.

[What you will be working on]

• Build web interfaces for annotating and tagging 2D images and 3D models of buildings, facades, and critical infrastructure.

• Implement 3D scene navigation (e.g., orbit, pan, zoom) and overlay of defect tags such as cracks, spalling, corrosion, or misalignment using Three.js or similar libraries.

• Integrate annotation tools with drone-collected datasets and inspection image repositories.

• Develop tools to align 2D images with 3D mesh or point cloud representations for accurate defect localization.

• Store and retrieve tagging metadata, timestamps, coordinates, and inspector notes via REST APIs and a PostgreSQL backend.

• Collaborate with engineers and inspection teams to define tagging schemas and use cases (e.g., BCA TR78 facade defects).

• Optimize rendering and loading for large 3D models (e.g., tiled mesh or segmented point clouds).

• Support analytics and reporting features for tagged infrastructure issues, inspection status, and defect progression.

[What we are looking for]

• Relevant qualification in computer engineering, electronics and communication, or a related discipline.

• Strong front-end development skills (JavaScript, ReactJS, HTML/CSS, Bootstrap).

• Experience with 3D visualization libraries (e.g., Three.js, Potree, CesiumJS).

• Familiarity with inspection data types such as high-resolution images, 3D meshes (OBJ/glTF), or LiDAR point clouds.

• Understanding of coordinate mapping between 2D imagery and 3D spatial data.

• Experience in backend integration using NodeJS/ExpressJS and database management with PostgreSQL.

• Experience with cloud deployment (e.g., AWS) and web technologies (JavaScript, TypeScript, MongoDB) is advantageous.

• Exposure to infrastructure or civil engineering inspection workflows is a plus.

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to collaborate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

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