Postdoc in Tibetan linguistics at Cambridge University

Applications are invited for a 38-month, 90% (0.9fte) Research Associate position at the University of Cambridge, working with Dr Marieke Meelen (Co-I) and Professor Nathan Hill (PI) on the ‘Emergence of Egophoricity’ project. The project is funded by the AHRC and forms a collaboration between SOAS, the University of London and the University of Cambridge. The ‘Emergence of Egophoriticity’ project aims to use state-of-the-art NLP methods to create annotated corpora for six different Tibetan and Newar varieties to study the emergence of egophoric markers in each of them.

Responsibilities of the successful candidate include but are not limited to research in innovative NLP tools and methods that address the challenges of low-resource and under-researched languages.

The position will involve close collaboration with Dr Meelen in Cambridge in the first instance, focusing on the Tibetan side of the project, as well as Professor Hill and Dr O’Neill at SOAS, University of London, who will focus on the Newar side of the project. The Cambridge side of the project will take place at the section of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics and within the larger community of linguists and NLP researchers at the University of Cambridge. This arrangement provides an excellent environment for research and career development, as the post holder will benefit from the expertise of both historical and formal linguistics as well as NLP and domain partners in this multidisciplinary project.

Candidates will have completed a Ph.D. in a relevant field such as Tibetan studies, linguistics or NLP and be able to demonstrate a strong track record of both independent and team research as well as software engineering skills. Essential knowledge and skills include: familiarity with older stages of Tibetan (Old/Classical Tibetan), corpus and NLP techniques, as well as proven communication skills. Prior experience with historical syntax and semantics, programming (Python) and specifically annotation of (historical) corpora is an advantage.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 38 months in the first instance.

Click the ‘Apply’ button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Applicants must provide the names and contact details of two referees who are familiar with your work in the relevant field whom we can contact for a reference once the vacancy has closed.

In order for your application to be considered, please upload a covering letter, a detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications (if not included in your CV) and one sample of a recent publication.

The closing date is midnight (GMT) on Sunday 5th December 2021. Interviews will be held during the week commencing the 15th December, subject to confirmation. The post is intended to start on 1st February 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Informal enquiries may be made to Marieke Meelen (mm986@cam.ac.uk). For questions on the application process or procedure, please contact Molly Carrick, HR Coordinator on MMLLPersonnel@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Please quote reference GP28221 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

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