Postdoctoral Research Assistant in NLP and Social Network Analysis

We are seeking a full-time Postdoctoral Research Assistant to work on an interdisciplinary project on exaggeration, cohesion, and fragmentation in on-line forums, led by Professor Janet Pierrehumbert (Oxford e-Research Centre) and Professor Xiaowen Dong (Oxford Man Institute) at the Department of Engineering Science, Central Oxford.  The post is funded by the EPSRC and is fixed-term until 30 September 2024.

This project aims to advance the ability of Natural Language Processing algorithms to understand words and phrases that express a degree on a scale and simultaneously to use graph neural networks to understand how scalar claims are promulgated and modified in social networks. We are particularly interested in developing novel machine learning methods that integrate linguistic information with social network information, in order to make predictions about the degree of polarization and fragmentation.

You will assume a leadership role in the design and testing of a benchmarking suite and/or novel software for the project and expected to be an active and constructive participant in regular project meetings.

You should hold a relevant PhD/DPhil (or be near completion), with the possibility to underfill at Grade 6 (£32,332 - £38,205 per annum) if you hold a relevant degree/Masters and working towards a PhD/DPhil, together with relevant experience.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Professor Janet Pierrehumbert (email: [email protected]).

For more information about working at the Department, see www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/work-with-us/

Please apply early. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis and the post will close early should sufficient applications be received.

 You will be required to upload a covering letter/supporting statement, including a brief statement of research interests (describing how past experience and future plans fit with the advertised position), CV and the details of two referees as part of your online application.

The Department holds an Athena Swan Bronze award, highlighting its commitment to promoting women in Science, Engineering and Technology.