[HPSG-L] PhD in Data-Driven Computational Semantics -- Utrecht University

[Yoad Winter]

PhD position in Data-Driven Computational Semantics and Geographic 
Information Systems -- Utrecht University

Application deadline: September 1, 2018

Job description
The Utrecht Institute of Linguistics (UiL OTS) invites applications for 
a PhD position in data-driven computational semantics. The project will 
develop computational models of spatial meaning that are theoretically 
grounded in linguistic and cognitive theories of meaning. This novel 
combination of semantic representation, data-driven learning and 
evaluation against a real-life problem is expected to substantially 
advance the ability of users to interact with geographic databases, 
including question-answering interactive systems.

The project will be supervised by Dr. Tejaswini Deoskar and Prof. Yoad 
Winter, in collaboration with Dr. Joost Zwarts and NLP researchers from 
the Language and Computation group at the ILLC, University of Amsterdam 
(Prof. Khalil Sima’an, Dr. Jelle Zuidema). The empirical study of 
elicited user data will be carried out in collaboration with Prof. James 
Hampton (Psychology, City, University of London). Work at the UiL OTS 
will be part of the ROCKY project, financed by an ERC Advanced grant to 
Prof. Yoad Winter.

Requirements
The successful applicant for this position should have a strong 
background in artificial intelligence, machine-learning and computer 
science as well as an interest in formal semantics. Applicants should 
ideally hold, or be about to complete, an excellent Master's degree in 
computational linguistics or a related domain (artificial intelligence, 
machine learning and/or computer science). Good programming skills, 
proficiency in spoken and written English, as well as a keen interest in 
problem solving and research are essential.

Tasks
Tasks for the PhD candidate will include:
- completion and defence of a PhD thesis within four years;
- regular presentation of intermediate research results at workshops and 
conferences;
- publication of peer-reviewed articles in established international 
journals or conference proceedings;
- help with organizational tasks connected to the project, such as the 
organization of conferences and workshops;
- participation in training programmes and expert meetings scheduled for 
the project;
- participation in selected training programmes scheduled for the 
Research Institute, Graduate School and the National Research School.

Qualifications
The successful applicant for this position should have a strong 
background in artificial intelligence, machine-learning and computer 
science as well as an interest in formal semantics. Applicants should 
ideally hold, or be about to complete, an excellent Master's degree in 
Computational Linguistics or a related domain (Artificial Intelligence, 
Machine Learning and/or Computer Science). Good programming skills, 
proficiency in spoken and written English, as well as a keen interest in 
problem solving and research are essential.

Offer
The successful candidate will be appointed on a fixed-term full-time 
basis (1.0 FTE), starting 1 September 2018 or soon thereafter. The 
appointment is initially for a period of 18 months. Upon good 
performance and a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for 
the remaining period of 30 months (4 years in total). The gross monthly 
salary starts at €2,266 in the first year, and ends at €2,897 (Scale P 
Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) gross per month for a 
full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 
8 % and a year-end bonus of 8.3 % per year. We offer a pension scheme, 
(partly paid) parental leave, collective insurance schemes and flexible 
employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information is 
available at: working at Utrecht University.

About the organization
A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in 
executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht 
University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards 
major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions 
for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.
The Faculty of Humanities has around 6,000 students and 900 staff 
members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious 
Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and 
Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education 
in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better 
understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social 
and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the 
excellent amenities in the historical city center of Utrecht, where the 
Faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring working environment.
The UiL OTS is part of Utrecht University, one of the largest 
comprehensive universities in Europe, with a rich history dating back to 
1636. The institute offers a very international English-speaking 
research environment. Researchers at UiL OTS are distributed across 6 
research groups, focusing on the following range of linguistic 
subdomains:  Language, Logic and Information (to which the current 
project belongs), Linguistic Theory and Language Acquisition, Language 
Processing and Language Pathology, Language Variation, Language and 
Education, Language and Communication. It comprises approximately 20 
Full Professors, a dozen Postdocs and roughly 40 PhD students. The 
institute is located in the beautiful and historic city of Utrecht, with 
excellent connections to both Amsterdam (20 minutes by train) and to the 
rest of Europe and beyond.

Additional information
If you are interested, please contact the Project Director (Yoad Winter 
- http://www.phil.uu.nl/~yoad/) or the Research Coordinator at UiL OTS 
(Maaike Schoorlemmer - m.schoorlemmer at uu.nl) for more information.

Apply
Applications should consist of the following materials:
- a cover letter of maximum two A4 pages explaining the applicant’s 
reasons for applying for the position and how they can contribute to the 
project in terms of expertise;
- a cv including personal and contact details;
- a writing sample of maximum 7,000 words. This can (but need not) be a 
chapter of the applicant’s Master’s thesis. In this case, however, it is 
expected that the writing sample would still be sufficiently self-contained;
- copies of relevant diplomas and grade transcripts (these need not be 
certified at the time of application, but it is expected that certified 
copies can be provided at a later date);
- names and full contact details of two academic referees.
Please include your name and a reference to the position you are 
applying for in the filenames and use the application button below to apply.

Applications are only accepted through the job interface of the Utrecht 
University:
https://ssl1.peoplexs.com/Peoplexs22/CandidatesPortalNoLogin/Vacancy.cfm?PortalID=4124&VacatureID=976749

Interviews will be held on September 17, 2018.

The application deadline is
September 1, 2018