37.788, Support: English, German; Computational Linguistics: PhD, Ruhr University Bochum

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-788. Thu Feb 26 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.788, Support: English, German; Computational Linguistics: PhD, Ruhr University Bochum

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Date: 25-Feb-2026
From: Tatjana Scheffler [tatjana.scheffler at rub.de]
Subject: English, German; Computational Linguistics: PhD, Ruhr University Bochum


Institution/Organization: Ruhr University Bochum
Web Address:
https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/f67b2069885e8908b2b3078b550e37a9d0bcc9e60

Level: PhD

Duties: Research, Project Work

Specialty Areas: Computational Linguistics
Required Language(s): English (eng)
                      German (deu)

Description:

Subject to a pending funding commitment from the German Research
Foundation (DFG) expected in mid-May 2026, we are seeking to fill a
position as a doctoral researcher in CRC 1475 subproject C04 "Metaphor
and social positioning in religious online forums. Local, non-local,
and cross-modal metaphor interpretation". The subproject combines
religious studies and computational linguistics under the direction of
Prof. Dr. Tatjana Scheffler and Prof. Dr. Frederik Elwert. One focus
of our subproject is developing computational methods for the analysis
of metaphors in contemporary, colloquial communication of religious
lay people in online forums. On the computational side, we will work
on interpreting religious metaphors automatically, including aspects
such as intertextuality as well as different modalities.
The project is part of the research cluster CRC 1475 "Metaphors of
Religion", which combines computational and corpus-based linguistic
methods with philology and religious studies to study the role of
metaphors in religious communication. Further details can be found at
https://sfb1475.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/
Your tasks:
- Development of computational linguistic methods for the recognition
and interpretation of (multimodal) metaphors
- Exploring the use of deep learning and LLMs for metaphor analysis
- Creation of annotated corpora and datasets
- Collaboration in an interdisciplinary team
- Preparing research results for publication in leading venues
(conferences and journals)
Your profile:
- Excellent Master's degree in computational linguistics or a related
subject
- Knowledge of and/or practical experience with natural language
processing (NLP), including machine learning methods (statistical
methods, deep learning, LLMs)
- Solid programming skills (e.g., Python)
- Excellent language skills in English; German skills preferred
- Strong interest in figurative language
- Experience in the field of corpus linguistics and/or analysis of
social media data
- Willingness to participate in interdisciplinary research
We offer:
- An interdisciplinary resesearch environment including colleagues
from computational linguistics, digital humanities, and religious
studies
- The opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. in a structured graduate program
with strong support
- Flexible working conditions
- Professional development, mentoring, and training
- The opportunity to join one of the largest universities in Germany,
embedded in the University Alliance Ruhr
Further information:
The position is salaried and based on the collective agreement of the
Länder (TV-L). If the personal and collective agreement requirements
are met, the employee will receive pay grade E13 TV-L (75%).
Further information can be found at https://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/
(in German).
The place of work is Ruhr University Bochum.
Since the position is funded by third-party funds the employee has no
teaching obligation.
Your detailed application should include the following documents: (1)
Cover letter, including your motivation for the position, (2)
Curriculum vitae, including publications, if applicable, (3)
Transcript of records, (4) Sample of your academic writing, e.g.
Master's thesis, (5) Names and email addresses of two references.
Please submit your application via the online form. Interviews will
take place in April 2026 via video conference (Zoom).
We look forward to receiving your application via our online
application portal by March 30, 2026.

Application Deadline: 30-Mar-2026

Web Address for Applications:
https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/f67b2069885e8908b2b3078b550e37a9d0bcc9e60

Contact Information:
Tatjana Scheffler



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