The Computer Science and Computational Linguistics group at Saarland University is seeking applications for one PhD student position in the field of data-to-text natural language generation. This exciting opportunity is part of the E2 project of the DFG-funded transregional collaborative research center on perspicuous computing (CPEC) and offers the chance to collaborate closely with researchers from the DFG-funded Collaborative Research Center on Information Density and Linguistic Encoding (SFB 1102).
About the Position
The aim of the project is to develop natural language generation methods that can effectively generalize to settings with limited training data. The successful candidate will work with Prof. Vera Demberg and will be based in the Computer Science and Computational Linguistics group.
Benefits of this Position
This PhD position offers the opportunity to be part of a dynamic and stimulating research environment at one of the leading centres for computational linguistics and computer science in Europe. Saarland University is famous for its interdisciplinary research in language, translation, computation and cognition, and provides ample opportunities for professional and academic growth. Additionally, the job does not come with any teaching obligation, but you can choose to participate in teaching activities, such as tutoring or co-teaching.
Available Level of Study
Candidates for this position should have a master's degree in computational linguistics, computer science or a related discipline.
Financial Support
The position is paid according to 75% TV-L E13, with the expected duration of the PhD being 3.5 years.
Eligibility
Experience with machine learning, including deep learning, is expected, and candidates should have a background and previous experience in natural language processing. The research will be conducted in English, so fluency in the language is necessary.
How to Apply
Applicants should submit their application via email directly to Prof. Vera Demberg (vera(at)coli.uni-saarland.de), quoting opening number W2229. The application should include a cover letter specifying why you are interested in this topic and what qualifies you for the position, an academic CV, a list of academic publications, your MSc thesis (or a current draft), copies of academic degree certificates, and the names of two potential references. Additionally, applicants should include a 2-page research proposal outlining their approach to one of the following topics: multitask learning, domain adaptation, or connective generation for discourse coherence.
Additional Information
Saarland University is part of the Saarland Informatics Campus, which brings together 800 researchers and 2000 students from 81 countries. The Department of Language Science and Technology, which is affiliated with the Department of Computer Science, organizes around 100 research staff in ten research groups in the fields of computational linguistics, psycholinguistics, speech processing, and corpus linguistics. Saarland University also collaborates closely with the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI).
Saarland University is an equal opportunity employer, and applications of women are strongly encouraged. Applications of disabled persons will be given preferential treatment over those of other candidates with equal qualifications. The application deadline is February 15, 2023, and the start date for the position is expected to be in the spring or summer of 2023