Overview

The Institute for German Language (IDS) and the Institute for Computational Linguistics (ICL) at Heidelberg University aim to fill two positions for doctoral researchers (Reference number: 3/2015)

Salary is based on the German civil servants payscale (TV-L 13, 66%). The positions are offered for an initial period of two years, with a possible extension for a third year.

The doctoral researcher positions are embedded within the Leibniz ScienceCampus “Empirical Linguistics and Computational Language Modeling”, a collaborative research project established by the Institute for the German Language (Institut für Deutsche Sprache, IDS) in Mannheim and the Institute for Computational Linguistics (ICL) at Heidelberg University.

The Leibniz ScienceCampus conducts innovative research to support high-quality automatic annotation of large-scale corpus resources of German language through induction of domain-, genre- and variety-adaptive natural language models. The offered positions are embedded in the research areas A and C.

Major research topics in Area A are:
– sentiment: annotation, linguistic foundations and automatic methods
– figurative language (idioms, metaphor, irony, …)
– annotation methods
– corpus-based genre analysis and genre classification
– temporal adaptation of NLP methods

Major research topics in Area C are:
– semantic relation and concept acquisition; linking to ontologies
– inferential knowledge acquisition
– inference, phrase compositionality and paraphrasing
– application in discourse analysis, esp. relating to argumentation & sentiment analysis

For more details on the Leibniz ScienceCampus, see http://www.wisscamp.de/en

Responsibilities for the doctoral researchers include research within the Leibniz ScienceCampus, publishing in leading conferences within the topics of their respective areas (supported by a supervisor), and preparing a doctoral thesis within the allotted timeframe. Teaching activity in ICL’s computational linguistics study program is welcome but not compulsory.

Company:

Heidelberg University

Qualifications:

* Master-level degree in computational linguistics or computer science, with a competitive grade
* Ability to work independently on scientific topics, as well as the willingness to be part of an open and dynamic team of researchers
* Good programming skills in a mainstream programming language (Java, Python or C++)

Language requirements:

* Good written and spoken communication skills in English
* Good knowledge of German is a prerequisite (C1-level or better knowledge of German is required)

Educational level:

Master Degree

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About University of Heidelberg

Heidelberg University is one of the top-ranking locations in the world of international science and scholarship. As Germany's oldest seat of higher learning it can look back on a tradition for which it is envied by many other universities, not only in Germany. But while its six-hundred-year history is a source of justified pride, it would be foolish indeed to rest on the laurels of the past. Accordingly, the University is intent on playing an active role in shaping the future, both by engaging in innovative research and by educating the decision-makers of tomorrow.

In the competition between the best universities our position could hardly be more favourable. In many fields Heidelberg's prominence is uncontested, both nationally and internationally. With its broad range of subjects it is a classic embodiment of the original ideal of universitas. As such, it scores over many of its rivals with an asset that has become indispensable for today 's research-oriented universities if they want to compete at an int