AI-Driven Sorting Researcher for Circular Plastics

NTCP; Heerenveen; On-site; EUR 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary aligned with responsibilities

One-year contract with outlook on a 1|

25 leave days + holidays

Job summary

NTCP in Heerenveen, Netherlands, seeks a driven Researcher Sorting Technologies & AI for Circular Plastics to advance sorting and AI-driven material identification. The role focuses on experiments with NIR-HSI, imaging and AI models, collaborating with partners across industry and academia.

Ideal candidates hold a BSc/MSc in engineering or materials science, with 2–3 years of industrial R&D, strong Python and data analytics skills, and a passion for circular plastics.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering/Materials/Physics with 2–3 years industrial R&D experience.
• Experience with optical sensing (NIR-HSI, RGB, 3D) and ML/vision apps.
• Proficient in Python and data analytics for industrial use.
• English communication; Dutch a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute and optimize experiments using NIR-HSI, imaging and automated sorting.
• Develop ML, chemometric and data analytics models for material classification.
• Analyze complex datasets to translate findings into practical solutions.
• Develop and improve data acquisition, processing and visualization tools.
• Lead R&D projects in sorting technologies, optical sensors and AI-driven material identification.
• Present results to customers, partners and scientific audiences.
• Identify new research opportunities and contribute to proposals.

Skills

Python programming

Data analytics

Machine learning

Computer vision

YOLO

PLS-DA

Optical sensing

NIR-HSI

RGB imaging

3D imaging

Education

BSc or MSc in Engineering/Materials Science/Experimental Physics

Tools

Data visualization tools

Sensor data processing software

Job description

NTCP in Heerenveen, Netherlands, seeks a driven Researcher Sorting Technologies & AI for Circular Plastics to advance sorting and AI-driven material identification. The role focuses on experiments with NIR-HSI, imaging and AI models, collaborating with partners across industry and academia.

Ideal candidates hold a BSc/MSc in engineering or materials science, with 2–3 years of industrial R&D, strong Python and data analytics skills, and a passion for circular plastics.