Chair for Multilingual Computational Linguistics at Passau University

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Passau invites applications for the tenured civil-service post of:

Chair of Multilingual Computational Linguistics (W3)

This post is available to start immediately.

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is characterised by a wide range of geographical, thematic, methodological and academic subjects, as represented by its chairs and professorships. In addition to the regional particularity of inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching, the faculty emphasises critical reflection on the interplay between digitalisation and the future social and cultural fabric of European societies in a global context as well as research on education and sustainability.

The University of Passau is establishing three new Chairs—Methods of Empirical Social Research; Comparative European Cultural Studies: Theories and Methods; and Multilingual Computational Linguistics—to create a new thematic focal point for research, reflection and teaching related to innovative and integrative scientific methodology within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

All three Chairs interlace with each other, thereby covering the full methodological breadth of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, from quantitative, empirical to qualitative, hermeneutical approaches. Future postholders require a high level of theoretical and applied methodological competence, which must not only have a strong epistemological grounding but also enable them to develop innovative research strategies.

We are seeking an expert of international renown to represent the subject of multilingual computational linguistics with a focus on automated language processing methods in teaching and research. Candidates must have rigorous knowledge of the core computational linguistics concepts of several sub-areas (including lexis, morphology, syntax, discourse linguistics, pragmatics, language technology and machine learning) and be familiar with various methodological approaches and their application in multilingual contexts. A willingness to develop and apply theories, methods and technologies in the service of cultural sustainability and linguistic ecology is expected. The multilingual computational linguistics chair to be established should take as its object of analysis and comparison different European national languages and variants thereof. Relevant teaching experience is required.

The Chair is expected to make a significant contribution to the relevant social-science, humanities and cultural-studies degree programmes of the faculty. To this end, the Chair should participate in the development of new degree programmes and the redesign of existing undergraduate and master's programmes, including the teacher education programmes. It is expected that the postholder teach research-led modules, particularly for the master's degree programmes. Candidates must be able to teach courses in English and in German.

Excellent publications on methodological questions, exemplary didactic ability and dedication to teaching, a strong track record in the acquisition of external (third-party) funds, proximity of the candidate's research interests to the faculty's thematic foci and experience in interdisciplinary projects are important selection criteria.

The successful candidate will be educated to doctoral level and either possess a formal postdoctoral qualification, such as the German 'Habilitation', or equivalent academic achievements garnered within or outside the higher education system or as part of a previous assistant professor or comparable role (e.g. German 'Juniorprofessur') or relevant qualification programmes such as the Emmy Noether Programme of the DFG. He or she will have demonstrated pedagogical aptitude and academic excellence, whereby the latter is generally established on the basis of the quality of his/her doctoral research and subsequent achievements, as applicable. In accordance with Art. 10(3)(1) of the Bavarian Higher Education Employment Act (BayHSchPG), candidates must not be more than 52 years of age at the time of their appointment.

The University of Passau actively promotes equal opportunities for all genders as well as diversity in the workforce; therefore, applications are welcome from all candidates who fulfil the requisite qualifications, without regard to gender, cultural or social background, religion, world view, disability or sexual identity. As the University of Passau wishes to raise the pro- portion of women in research and teaching, female academics are expressly encouraged to apply. Furthermore, this post is suitable for those who are registered disabled. Registered disabled persons are given preference over non-disabled applicants who do not otherwise have statutory preferential status if their overall personal aptitudes, skills and qualifications are equal.

To be considered, your application must reach the University by 28 March 2021. Your full application should include all relevant supporting documents (curriculum vitae, list of publi- cations, teaching assignments, teaching evaluations etc.) and must be sent by e-mail to dekanat@phil.uni-passau.de. Please write 'W3 Computerlinguistik' in the subject line. It should be addressed to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Passau, Professor Malte Rehbein, 94030 Passau, Germany. All application documents should be attached as a single pdf file. E-mailed applications are kept on file for six months after the conclusion of the appointment procedure, whereupon they are deleted from our systems.

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