Senior Image Processing Engineer

About us

Spore.Bio is a deeptech start-up born in 2023, building a new paradigm in the quality control systems in Food&Beverage, Cosmetics, and Pharmaceutics factories.

After spending a lot of time in factories environments, we saw the pain it was to make sure products were safe. Traditional quality control has heavy constraints and long waiting times. To change that, we decided to build Spore.Bio , a new generation of microbiological testing.

Our team is dedicated to bringing technology and developing a cutting-edge solution, based on advanced optical and deep-learning technologies, to detect bacterial contamination within seconds.

Spore Bio is seeking a talented and passionate Senior Image Processing Engineer to contribute to the development of our cutting-edge biophotonics and data science solutions.

In this role, you will bridge the gap between physical photonics and advanced data science. You will be responsible for extracting, processing, and analyzing images where the signal is scarce and the physics matter. Join our dynamic team of R&D experts and product managers, and play a crucial role in building the future of industrial microbiology.
About the role

Your Mission

• Algorithm Development: Design, implement, and optimize advanced image processing and computer vision algorithms to extract meaningful biological data from complex optical systems.

• Weak Signal Extraction: Develop specific strategies (denoising, contrast enhancement, statistical physics approaches) to detect, isolate, and analyze weak signals and low-contrast objects in noisy environments.

• Hardware-Software Co-design: Work hand-in-hand with the optical engineering team to understand the physics of our multimodal imaging platform, ensuring your algorithms are perfectly tuned to the instrumentation constraints. Deploy your solutions all the way to the edge in compute-constrained systems.

• Data Exploration & Modeling: Process large volumes of imaging data, build robust preprocessing pipelines, and collaborate with AI/Machine Learning engineers to feed our predictive models.

• Experimental Validation: Design test protocols on our optical benches to validate algorithm performance against physical ground truth.

Your Profile

• Education & Experience: Master’s degree or PhD in Image Processing, Computer Vision, Signal Processing, or Physics/Biophysics. You have 5–10 years of proven experience developing image processing solutions, ideally in life sciences, advanced microscopy, or space/astrophysics imaging.

• Instrumentation & Biophysics Sensitivity: Your responsibility is to enhance the signal we acquire, not just through signal processing but also by deeply understanding the underlying physics. You have a strong grasp of light-matter interactions, optical aberrations, and biophysics.

• The "Weak Signal" Expert: You are comfortable dealing with low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), photon-starved regimes, and complex background noise.

• Technical Stack: Proficiency in Python (OpenCV, Scikit-Image, NumPy, SciPy) and/or C++. Experience with deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, JAX) applied to computer vision is highly appreciated.

• Communication: Exceptional ability to translate complex physical phenomena into algorithmic logic, and to communicate effectively with a multidisciplinary R&D team (optics, biology, AI). English proficiency (B2 or above) required.

• Personality: Analytical, proactive, problem-solver, and deeply motivated by the challenge of making "the invisible visible".

Why joining us?

• Work in an innovative and rapidly growing startup.

• Participate in exciting and impactful projects.

• Evolve in a collaborative and stimulating work environment.

• Opportunities for professional development and continuous training.

What we offer

We believe that flexibility and trust are important parts of a company. Our work environment reflects this thanks to:

Flexible remote: If you live in Paris, you can work from our office or from your place with no constraints.

On top of that, we offer many perks such as:

• A budget for remote work equipment

• A Gymlib subscription for you to stay in shape wherever you are

• Premium health insurance (Alan in France)

• A Swile card for your meals, if you are based in France

• Frequent team events and in-person gatherings every quarter!

Recruitment process

• Fit Interview (~30 min): A casual call to get to know each other, explore your experience, understand what drives you, and align on expectations. It's also your chance to ask anything about Spore Bio and the role.

• Technical Case Study (Presentation): A hands-on challenge reflecting the exact types of engineering problems you would face on the job. We care about your reasoning, methodology, and instincts—not textbook answers.

• Culture-Fit Discussion: A dedicated chat with a Spore Bio collaborator to ensure our values, vision, and team dynamics match what you're looking for.

• On-site Interview & Lab Visit: A comprehensive immersion day at our Paris headquarters. You will visit the optics lab and assembly area, see our systems in action, and meet the founders. This final step is as much for you to audit us as it is for us to choose you!

• Reference calls A quick chat with one or two people you've worked with before.

You might also be invited to meet other team members at the office for a lab visit and a coffee!

This is a unique opportunity for someone who thrives on curiosity and has a genuine passion for technology. If you enjoy taking on challenges and solving complex problems, this role will provide the perfect environment for growth and impact. The ideal candidate is someone who is self-driven, eager to learn, and excited to contribute to shaping the future of microbiology monitoring. Join our innovative and dynamic team, and let's make a difference together! We look forward to meeting you!

Find more about us on our website and join us on this incredible journey!