Job Title: Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN Early Stage Researcher
Full Time and Fixed Term: 36 Months
Research Fellow: €38,924 gross p.a. (before national taxation and deductions)
Start Date: October 2018
The European Journalism Centre in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is offering a PhD position to develop research on the visualization of topic threads in news data. The researcher will develop new data analysis techniques for finding relations, groups, and patterns in multimedia data (images, text, video and their metadata) and innovative interactive visualization techniques to support this data analysis and integrate analysis and visualization into an interactive prototype for visual data mining in the domain of journalism verification.
The successful candidate will undertake full-time PHD research. In addition to fulfilling the requirements of UvA’s doctoral training programme, the successful candidate will receive a personalised training plan to develop skills for future employment in academia or industry. This will include participation in JOLT training events (to develop domain specific skills, general research skills, and transferable skills) and secondments/work-placements in different research environments. All costs are fully funded (100% employment) by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, which also offers highly attractive salary and allowance conditions.
Requirements (in addition to those outlined above):
- An MSc in computer science, artificial intelligence, data science, or related area.
- A strong background in multimedia analysis and machine learning.
- Excellent programming skills in Python or C/C++ and some experience with deep learning programming frameworks (e.g. TensorFlow, Torch, PyTorch, or Caffe) and visualization software.
- English language proficiency (IELTS 6.5)
- An Interest in or affiliation with data journalism.
For more information, please contact Bianca Lemmens and Prof Marcel Worring: lemmens@ejc.net and m.worring@uva.nl
The European Journalism Centre is committed to an inclusive culture and respecting diversity, and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.
Eligibility Requirements: All applicants should ensure and demonstrate compliance with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie rules: (1) Applicants may be of any nationality, but must not have resided in or carried out their main activity (work or study) in the host country for more than 12 of the 36 months prior to recruitment. This condition excludes short stays such as holidays. (2) Applicants must have less than four years research experience (full-time equivalent) and must not have obtained a PhD. Registration on taught programmes such as undergraduate degrees or taught Masters degrees do not count as research experience. (3) Applicants must be willing to travel for two secondments or work-placements (where each is approximately 4 weeks in duration).
Salary and Benefits: The Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme offers highly competitive and attractive salary and working conditions. These include a living allowance/salary (see individual advertisements for details), a mobility allowance (€7,200 gross per annum), and a family allowance if applicable (€6,000 gross per annum). Expenses such as registration fees and training are covered by the JOLT network. Researchers will be funded for three years.
Responsibilities of the PhD Researcher
- To manage and carry out the research project within 36 months.
- To write a PhD dissertation.
- To participate in research and training activities within the JOLT network.
- To publish articles and deliver presentations to the research community
- To participate in public outreach and engagement.
- To participate in JOLT meetings and the organisation of JOLT events.
- To liaise with relevant research staff and students
- To write progress reports and prepare results for publication.
To attend progress and management meetings as required.
How to Apply: Please complete the online application form and submit the following documents compiled in the following order into a single PDF file: Research Proposal outlining your understanding of the topic, proposed theoretical approach, methodology, field for empirical research, and potential significance/contribution to existing state of the art (max. 2000 words); Curriculum Vitae (including two referees’ contact details); Certificates/Transcripts of Degree and/or Master degree.
Closing Date for Applications: 27 May 2018.
Selected candidates will be invited for interview within one month. Interviews may be conducted in person or electronically.
