31.97, Support: Computational Linguistics: MA /Msc, University of Malta

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-31-97. Wed Jan 08 2020. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 31.97, Support: Computational Linguistics: MA /Msc, University of Malta

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Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 04:43:46
From: Albert Gatt [albert.gatt at um.edu.mt]
Subject: Computational Linguistics: MA /Msc, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

 Institution/Organization: University of Malta 
Department: Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology 
Web Address: https://www.um.edu.mt/linguistics 

Level: MA / MSc 

Specialty Areas: Computational Linguistics 
Deep Learning, Computer Vision 

Description:

Fully-funded Research Support Officer / PhD Candidate to conduct research on
multimodal semantic grounding and model transparency, at the interface between
Natural Language Processing and Computer Vision.

This project forms part of the EU-funded NL4XAI Innovative Training Network.

The researcher will work under the supervision of Albert Gatt
(https://staff.um.edu.mt/albert.gatt/) at the University of Malta, and the
co-supervision of Kees van Deemter (https://www.uu.nl/staff/CJvanDeemter) at
the University of Utrecht.

This PhD project falls within the NL4XAI Training Network, which focusses on
the challenge of making AI systems intelligible through the use of Natural
Language. In this specific project, the focus will be on models -- especially
neural models -- which generate language from perceptual (e.g. image or video)
input (for example, to answer questions, or generate descriptive or narrative
captions). Such systems raise a number of important questions, such as:

(a) to what extent are the choices made by a language model truly grounded in
sensory information?
(b) what is the best way to design training data for such models to ensure
that perceptual and linguistic modalities are complementary, rather than
redundant?
(c) how can the choices made by such models be rendered explicit or
intelligible to human users?

These questions will be addressed in a variety of ways, including through
techniques to test the sensitivity of neural Vision-Language models, as well
as behavioural techniques to evaluate them against human input.

Both Albert Gatt and Kees van Deemter have long-standing track records in
research in Natural Language Generation. The successful candidate will be part
of the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology at the University of
Malta, working in a group of researchers working on several aspects of NLP, as
well as on language from theoretical, experimental and applied perspectives.
Successful candidates will also benefit from the training network which is
being set up under the European NL4XAI Innovative Training Network
(https://nl4xai.eu/).

In the course of their work, the researcher will carry out two three-month
secondments to the University of Utrecht, and one three-month secondment to
Orange in Lanion, France (with Lina Rohas-Barahona and J. Heinecke).

The NL4XAI project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant
agreement No 860621.
 

Web Address for Applications: https://nl4xai.eu/vacancies/ 

Contact Information: 
	Dr Albert Gatt
	albert.gatt at um.edu.mt  


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