Postdoctoral researcher / project researcher in Digital Linguistics / Natural Language Processing

TurkuNLP is a multidisciplinary research group that combines digital linguistics, natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning. We specialize in developing state-of-the-art NLP tools for Finnish and other languages, as well as applying these methods to analyze how language is used in large-scale digital language data. For instance, we have developed the FinBERT language model and the Finnish Internet Parsebank dataset composed of billions of words.

We welcome applications for a fixed-term position / positions of a Postdoctoral Researcher / Project Researcher. The positions are for the period of September 1, 2023, to August 31, 2024, and can be either part-time or full-time.

The positions are part of the research project "Massively Multilingual Modeling of Registers in Web-Scale Data," (MMMReg) which is funded by the Academy of Finland. The project aims to explore language use in the digital world at a massively multilingual scale using neural networks. The specific focus of the project is on web registers, such as news, blogs, and how-to pages. The primary goals of the project are to analyze the linguistic characteristics of web registers across languages and to develop machine learning methods for modeling registers in large web datasets at a massively multilingual scale. For more information, please visit turkunlp.org and refer to our latest publications.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

The selected candidate will work as part of the MMMReg project team and TurkuNLP. The candidate is expected to utilize and integrate diverse register datasets that have already been developed in the project, both manually and automatically labeled, and potentially develop new ones. The specific approaches and research questions will depend on the candidate's profile. Possible research questions include: What types of register characteristics are shared across languages, and which ones are unique to specific languages? Which linguistic elements can account for the decrease in register identification performance in a zero-shot setting? How can we achieve the best possible results in register identification? Additionally, the candidate is expected to participate in the supervision of junior researchers and planning of funding proposals.

Qualifications

The project goals span both linguistics and NLP, and candidates with various backgrounds in, e.g., corpus linguistics, computer science, or related fields are encouraged to apply. We hope you have

-          A doctoral or master's degree

-          Programming skills (python / R, command-line)

-          Knowledge of computational methods in NLP and/or corpus linguistics

-          Depending on your profile, familiarity with register studies, corpus linguistics, and/or machine learning methods in NLP

-          Ability to work independently while also taking responsibility for the research group's activities

-          An understanding of multidisciplinary research

If the selected candidate does not hold a doctoral degree at the start of employment, the position will be filled with the title of Project Researcher. According to the University of Turku Rules of Procedure, a Project Researcher is required to have a higher education degree.

We offer you

The position offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to the development of large, multilingual web datasets as well as to explore web registers using the latest machine learning methods. Our projects are innovative and offer new perspectives in language research, language technology, and other humanities disciplines.

Salary and trial period

The salary is determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel and will depend on the degree and qualifications of the applicant. The salary for a Project Researcher will be in average 2300 - 2500 euro/month and for a Postdoctoral Researcher in average 3300 - 3500 euro/month depending on competence and experience.

Salaried positions in Finland automatically include payments to a pension fund, unemployment funds, an extensive occupational healthcare, affordable sports services and even a holiday allowance.

A six (6) month trial period applies to the position.

Application guidelines

Applications must be submitted by August 7, 2023 at 23:59(UTC+3) using the University's electronic application form. The link to the system is provided at the beginning of this announcement ("Apply for the job") and can also be found at utu.fi/career.

The application should include the CV (curriculum vitae), copies of degree certificates and a motivation letter as specified in the electronic application form.

Additional information

For more information about the position, please contact Professor Veronika Laippala, veronika.laippala@utu.fi.

For inquiries regarding the application process, please contact HR Specialist Maija Österlund, maija.osterlund@utu.fi (on vacation from July 1 till August 2).  

We value equality and diversity in our work community and encourage qualified applicants, regardless of background, to apply for our open positions. Read more about us as an employer on the “Come Work with Us!” page and the welcome services for newcomers