13 July: fyi -- research, Edinburgh
Index of July 2010 | Index of year: 2010 | Full index
The University of Edinburgh
School of Informatics
Research Associate in Language Processing
Fixed Term: 36 months FT
Vacancy Ref No: 3013080
The University of Edinburgh
For information about the University of Edinburgh, please visit
http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/
School of Informatics
Informatics is the study of how natural and artificial systems store,
process and communicate information. Research in Informatics promises
to take information technology to a new level, and to place
information at the heart of 21st century science, technology and
society.
The University has adopted our vision of the future of Informatics, as
a discipline central to a new enlightenment in scholarship and
learning, and critical to the future development of science,
technology and society.
The School provides a fertile environment for a wide range of studies
focussed on understanding computation on both artificial and natural
systems. The research draws on concepts from computer science,
artificial intelligence, linguistics, cognitive science, neuroscience,
psychology and biology.
More details about these research activities can be found at
"http://www.informatics.ed.ac.uk/research/"
Informatics is one of seven schools in the College of Science and
Engineering, at the University of Edinburgh. It was the only
department in the UK awarded the top 5*A rating in Computer Science in
the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise. With 87.1 research active staff
submitted for assessment, we are also the UKs biggest research group
in this area. We received a top excellent rating in the most recent
(1994) SHEFC Teaching Quality Assessment exercise. Edinburgh came top
in the last two Research Assessment Exercises (RAE). RAE 2008 results
have confirmed Edinburgh's position as the largest and best
informatics research centre in the UK.
The various institutes in The School of Informatics have recently come
together and are now housed under one roof in the new £40 million
Informatics Forum Building on Crichton Street.
The Project
The School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh invites
applications for a full-time, fixed term Research Associate position
on the project "GRAMPLUS: Grammar-Based Robust Natural Language
Processing" funded by the European Research Council. The aim of this
project is to investigate a number of semi supervised and unsupervised
methods for CCG based parser induction and generalization to support
wider coverage, improved language modeling, semantic interpretation,
and construction of ontologies and knowledge resources. The project
encompasses both parser development and practical applications such as
question answering and inference of entailment relations in text,
using machine learning and probabilistic modeling. The successful
candidate will work as part of a team of experts in computational
linguistics and natural language processing to develop and evaluate
robust natural language processing systems.
Candidate profile
Candidates should have a PhD in computer science or computational
linguistics, or a related discipline. They should have strong
programming skills and a background in statistical natural language
processing. Experience with machine learning and/or probabilistic
modeling techniques is essential. A working knowledge of linguistics
is desirable.
Job Description
(1) Job Details
Job title: Research Assistant (Grade 7)
School/Support Department: School of Informatics
Line manager: Principal Investigator for the research programme
(2) Job Purpose
Research staff are normally employed to work on a particular project,
based on restricted funding arising from a specific source, such as a
UK Research Council grant or similar. (Occasionally a post holder
will work on more than one project). This job description sets out
the very general nature of such a post. Specific responsibilities
will be determined by the project itself, and the member of staff
responsible for that project. This generic job description is
accompanied by the further particulars for the post which specifies
the project areas of work.
(3) Representative Work Activities
In general, to support the Principal Investigator of a specific
project in achieving the goals of that project, under his/her
direction.
Undertaking a specific role in the research project under supervision
Taking responsibility for some elements of the planned research
Planning and carrying out a work programme appropriate to the research
activity Developing own research portfolio in related areas
Contributing to the writing of research grants Contributing to
dissemination and publication of personal and/or research teams
findings as appropriate.
(4) Planning and organising
The post holder will have to agree a general plan of research with the
Principal Investigator and progress will be monitored at pre-scheduled
meetings.
(5) Problem Solving
The problems to be faced are purely scientific and the post holder
will supply the detailed expertise for delivering a solution. They
will be expected to achieve this under instruction by and with advice
from the Principal Investigator and other academic and senior research
staff.
(6) Decision making
The post holder will determine the specific techniques and approaches
to be used in the course of the research, in agreement with the
principal investigator.
(7) Key contacts/relationships
The postholder will principally interact with the Principal
Investigator and other project staff and students. More generally,
the postholder will discuss the work, and other questions of
scientific interest, with other members of the School. The postholder
will be expected to represent the University externally, by presenting
their work at specialist meeting or workshops in the relevant research
area. They may also be required to provide advice and support to
relevant students.
(8) Knowledge, skills and experience
Degree in appropriate field
PhD
The following criteria are not yes/no factors, but questions of
degree. Recruitment will aim at selecting those candidates with the
best possible performance in all these criteria.
Experience of research in the broad area of the related project
Preferably, experience in the specific area of the related project
Proven expertise in the techniques needed to undertake the research in
question Demonstrated quality of research performance Ability to
communicate complex information clearly, orally and in writing.
(9) Dimensions
There are no line management responsibilities associated with this post.
Informal enquiries
Informal enquiries about this position should be made to Prof Mark
Steedman (steedman@inf.ed.ac.uk)
Terms of appointment and salary
The post is on the UE07 scale (£29,853-£35,646). Placement for the
post is according to experience and qualifications.
Salary is paid monthly by direct transfer to your Bank or Building
Society account, normally on the 28th of the month. Salaries for
part-time staff are calculated on the full-time scales, pro rata to
the Standard Working Week.
The post is available for 36 months
UKBA Certificate of Sponsorship
Should you require a visa to undertake paid employment in the UK you
will be required to fulfil the minimum points criteria to be granted a
Certificate of Sponsorship and Tier 2 visa. As appropriate, at the
time an offer of appointment is made to you, you will be asked to
demonstrate that you fulfil the criteria in respect of financial
maintenance and competency in English.
Application Procedure
We encourage all applicants to apply online at www.jobs.ed.ac.uk The
application process is quick and easy to follow, and you will receive
email confirmation of safe receipt of your application. The online
system allows you to submit a c.v.
If you do not have access to a computer, you can call our recruitment
line on 0131 650 2511 for an application pack. This will be posted out
to you for you to complete and return. Please return the Application
form and all enclosures (except the equal opportunities form) to Ms
Irene Madison, The University of Edinburgh, 10 Crichton Street,
Edinburgh EH8 9AB. Return the equal opportunities form in the
separate prepaid envelope. To complete the application process both
online and in paper format, you need to complete the (i) Application
Form (ii) Additional Personal Information Form, (iii) Equality &
Diversity Monitoring Form, and (iv) Rehabilitation of Offenders
Form. Please also include your curriculum vitae including a statement
of interest justifying your suitability for the post you are applying
for and contact details of two referees. We cannot guarantee to
consider late applications. We anticipate interviews will be held at
the end of August, beginning of September. If you have not been
invited for interview by then, you have not been successful.
Please quote reference no: 3013080
Closing Date: 10th August 2010
The University reserves the right to vary the candidate information or
make no appointment at all. Neither in part, nor in whole does this
information form part of any contract between the University and any
individual
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