Research and teaching position in Computational Linguistics Department of Language Science and Technology Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany

Start date: late 2023/early 2024 Contract duration: 3 years (can be extended) Payscale: E13 100% (postdoc) / E13 75% (PhD student)

https://www.coli.uni-saarland.de/~koller/page.php?id=jobs

We are looking to fill a research and teaching position in computational linguistics at the Department of Language Science and Technology at Saarland University. The position is part of the research group of Prof. Alexander Koller. It offers great flexibility in developing your own research and teaching agenda, and collaborations with other research groups are encouraged.

The position is flexible with respect to topic, but it should connect thematically with current topics of interest to the research group. These include semantic parsing, reasoning with LLMs (e.g. planning, chain-of-thought), personalized dialogue and language generation, and the use of neurosymbolic models in NLP. You should have expertise in neural and/or linguistically principled methods in computational linguistics and be willing to take an active role in shaping the research and teaching environment of the department.

The position includes a teaching load of up to four hours per week in the BSc Computational Linguistics (in German) and/or the MSc Language Science and Technology (in English). Both programs attract excellent and highly motivated students; it is not unusual for our students to publish papers at peer-reviewed conferences before graduation. The MSc students in particular are a very international crowd, with two thirds joining us from abroad. You will typically teach two seminars per semester on topics of your choice, which will allow you to motivate students to do BSc and MSc theses under your supervision.

This is a position on the German TV-L E13 scale (100% position at the postdoc level; 75% position at the PhD student level). The starting salary of a 100% TV-L E13 position is a bit over 50,000 Euros per year and increases with experience. The initial appointment will be for three years; the position can be extended up to the limits of the German law for academic contracts (WissZeitVG). The starting date could be late 2023 or early 2024; we would be willing to adapt to the time requirements of an ideal candidate.

Requirements

We are looking for candidates who have finished, or are about to complete, an excellent PhD degree (at the postdoc level) or MSc degree (at the PhD student level) in computational linguistics, computer science, or a related discipline. You must be proficient in English (spoken and written); the ability to teach in German is a plus.

The position is primarily intended for applicants at the postdoc level, who should have demonstrated their research expertise through high-quality publications. We will consider applicants at the PhD level in exceptional cases.

About the department

Saarland University is one of the leading centers for computational linguistics in Europe, and offers a dynamic and stimulating research environment. The Department of Language Science and Technology consists of about 100 research staff in nine research groups in the fields of computational linguistics, psycholinguistics, speech processing, and corpus linguistics.

The department is a core member of the new Research Training Group "Neuroexplicit Models of Language, Vision, and Action", which is on track to grow into one of the largest centers for research on neurosymbolic models in NLP and other fields of AI in the world. It is also the centerpiece of the Collaborative Research Center 1102 "Information Density and Linguistic Encoding" and part of the Saarland Informatics Campus, which brings together computer science research at the university with world-class research institutions on campus, such as the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). The Saarland Informatics Campus brings together 900 researchers and 2100 students from 81 countries; SIC faculty have won 36 ERC grants.

Saarland University is located in Saarbrücken, a mid-sized city in the tri-border area of Germany, France, and Luxembourg. Saarbrücken combines a lively culture scene with a relaxed atmosphere, and is quite an affordable place to live in. Our department maintains an international and diverse work environment. The primary working language is English; learning German while you are here will make it easier to connect with the local culture, but is not necessary for your work.

How to apply

Please submit your application at http://apply.coli.uni-saarland.de/ak23. Preference will be given to applications received by 31 August 2023.

Include a single PDF file with the following information: • a statement of research interests that motivates why you are applying for this position and outlines your research agenda; • a full CV including your list of publications; • scans of transcripts and academic degree certificates; • the names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses of two people who can provide letters of reference for you.

Saarland University especially welcomes applications from women and people with disabilities.

If you have further questions, please email Alexander Koller koller@coli.uni-saarland.de. Applications should _not_ be emailed to this address, but submitted through the online form.