We’re building the most advanced browser-based analytics platform in life sciences — where WebAssembly, WebGPU, AI, and scientific computing meet elegant design. The browser is our performance frontier and creative canvas. Join us to push the limits of what the web can do and shape the next generation of interfaces for scientific discovery. The challenge Datagrok is both a ready-to-use platform for exploratory data analysis and a foundation for building applications on top of it — think an operating system for life sciences. For UI, we use our own lightweight library, and it has served us really well, unlocking the best performance of interactive visualizations, letting scientists build powerful UIs in a few lines using our JS API, and enabling developers to build rich UI across 50+ plugins.
Now we’re taking our UX toolkit and platform experience to the next level. We want to keep the ability to write lightweight, expressive code, and at the same time, we want new frontend developers to be productive on day 1 using popular technologies (maybe React), have dynamically discoverable and configurable components, LLMs to produce the UX based on user prompts, and more.
We’re not rewriting the core — we want a technology that would simplify creating UI in apps, plugins, and scripts. And along the way, we’ll be creating cool high-performance scientific applications on that stack! What you’ll do This is an individual contributor role with significant ownership and decision-making authority. * Enable 90% of polished UIs to be built in pure JavaScript (no HTML or CSS) in lightweight (no-dependency, no-preprocessing) scripts * Decide whether to evolve our JavaScript API or adopt a framework (React/Vue/etc.), styles (Tailwind), preprocessor (SASS), and/or component library * Build wrappers for the Datagrok components and expose as widgets using the library of choice * Develop the component model for widget registration, discovery, and configuration * Create intuitive UIs for customizing components, binding data, and handling events * Implement a visual designer with a drag-and-drop palette of dynamically loaded widgets * Evolve the JavaScript API to be fast, stable, and well-documented * Build scientific applications using the UX framework * Build prototypes that showcase platform capabilities and improve UX based on feedback * Head the front-end development, establish guidelines, mentor, do PRs, etc.
Requirements Must have * 5+ years of front-end development (but ability matters more than years) * Strong JavaScript/TypeScript skills and experience building complex web applications * Expertise with modern frameworks (React, Vue, or similar) * Experience building reusable component libraries or design systems * Proven ability to create polished, intuitive interfaces users love * Efficient, performant code for data-intensive applications * Strong problem-solving skills, ability to work independently, and get stuff done quickly
Nice to have * UX/UI design background or strong aesthetic sense * Game development experience (demonstrates ability to create engaging, interactive experiences) * Experience with data visualization libraries and techniques * Full-stack development skills (Java, Python, R, or other languages) * Experience with high-performance web applications or scientific computing * Background in natural sciences, STEM, or scientific software
You’re the ideal candidate if you * Think in systems — building frameworks that empower others to create * Care deeply about developer experience and elegant architecture * Thrive in small, autonomous teams where decisions have immediate impact * Enjoy solving challenging technical problems at the intersection of performance and design * Get excited about pushing browser capabilities (WebAssembly, WebGPU, WebGL) * Have a portfolio that makes us say, “wow — we need this person”
We value ability over checkboxes. If you can demonstrate you can deliver — through experience, portfolio, or projects — we want to hear from you.
To apply: include portfolio links, GitHub, or demos showcasing your best UI work.
