Doctoral Researcher Position in Computational Linguistics / Computer Sciences in Jena, Germany

The Collaborative Research Center SFB 1076 “AquaDiva – Understanding the Links between Surface and Subsurface Biogeosphere” is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). AquaDiva is an ambitious research center with more than 70 researchers and Institutes at four faculties of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU) and three non-university research institutes in Jena or Leipzig. The integrated Research Training Group AquaDiva is educating doctoral researchers in a structured, interdisciplinary training program. AquaDiva combines different research areas, such as ecology, microbiology, hydrogeology, soil science, geochemistry, geology, geophysics, chemistry, and information science, to a comprehensive picture of subsurface research (www.aquadiva.uni-jena.de).

The Integrated Research Training Group AquaDiva invites applications for a Doctoral Researcher Position (m/f; Ref.No. 152/2017) at the Jena University Language and Information Engineering (JULIE) Lab, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU)

Semantic Technologies for Scientific Data Management and Text Mining (SemDaTe)

The SemDaTe project provides the information management and sharing platform for the whole of the CRC AquaDiva. Within this framework, JULIE Lab is responsible for semantic text analytics of unstructured scientific documents (journal articles, technical reports, etc.). The doctoral researcher’s task is to provide support at three levels of text-based data management. First, data integration, i.e. the closer coupling between data held in structured databases and unstructured textual data available in verbal publications; second, data interpretation, i.e. whether the data are credible (trust models of data), consistent (detection of conflicting data), and complete (detection of missing data); and third, data abstraction by semantic generalization of single data items (model or theory discovery, i.e. “real” text mining complemented by text summarization).

Major tasks:
– Maintain and enhance an existing software framework – SeMedico, a semantic search engine, and, in collaboration with the Distributed Information System Group, enhancement of the common BExIS data portal
– Work on the three main topics for this funding period: data integration, data interpretation, and data abstraction from the perspective of semantic text analytics

Requirements:
– A Master’s degree (or equivalent) in computational linguistics, computer science, or a related discipline
– Solid knowledge of methods for natural language processing (incl. machine learning, deep learning, semantic technologies, information retrieval, statistics)
– Excellent technical skills in programming languages such as Java or Python, handling of large data sets (XML/RDF metadata repositories), software engineering (desired)
– Enthusiasm to play an active role in the interdisciplinary research team of AquaDiva, interested in collaborating with colleagues from the natural sciences (biology, chemstry, physics, geology, ecology, etc.)
– Highly motivated and creative personalities, with an interest to shape their own thesis project
– Excellent written and oral communications skills in English

We offer:
– A doctoral researcher position (TV-L E13 – salary agreement for public service employees, 100%) with funding from Nov 1, 2017, until Jun 30, 2021, as well as generous research funding with the possibility of a 3-months stay abroad
– Opportunity for research on an innovative and unique Critical Zone research platform and its common data management platform
– A comprehensive mentoring program with supervision by a team of advisors
– A communicative atmosphere within a scientific network providing top-level research facilities and training program, including participation in international and national conferences and workshops
– The place of work is Jena, Germany, a young and lively university town with dynamic business activities, successful scientific centers of innovation, and a vibrant cultural scene around a university with a rich tradition