PhD position at the Faculty of Science

The Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC)  is a research institute at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) in which researchers from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Humanities collaborate. Its central research area is the study of fundamental principles of encoding, transmission and comprehension of information. Research at ILLC is interdisciplinary, and aims at bringing together insights from various disciplines concerned with information and information processing, such as logic, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, natural language processing, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, music cognition, and philosophy. Research is organized in three research groups: Logic and Computation (LoCo), Logic and Language (LoLa) and Language and Computation (LaCo). Check here for an overview of the research being carried out in the different groups. For the research carried out by the individual staff members of ILLC, see their personal pages via People at ILLC.

The ILLC currently has one PhD position available at the Faculty of Science, starting on 1 September 2019. Applications are now invited from excellent candidates wishing to conduct research in an area within ILLC that fits naturally in the Faculty of Science.

Job description

You will be expected to perform the following tasks:

• complete and defend a PhD thesis within the official appointment duration of four years;
• regularly present intermediate research results at international workshops and conferences, and publish them in proceedings and journals;
• collaborate with researchers in other relevant parts of ILLC;
• participate in the organisation of research activities and events at ILLC, such as conferences, workshops and joint publications.

All PhD candidates at the ILLC furthermore are expected to make a small contribution to the institute's educational mission, e.g., by working as teaching assistants for courses in their area of expertise and by assisting with the supervision of student research projects.

This PhD position will be embedded in the ILLC's PhD Programme, which offers training in a range of transferable skills that are relevant for a successful career, in research or elsewhere.

Requirements

You have:

• a master's degree with excellent grades in a relevant field, such as logic, computer science, mathematics, artificial intelligence, linguistics, philosophy, musicology or cognitive science;
• good academic writing and presentation skills;
• good social and organisational skills;
• a strong interest in a scientific career.  

Further information

For general information, you may contact :

• Dr. Luca Incurvati, Director of the ILLC PhD Programme

Appointment

You will be appointed on a temporary basis for a period of 4 years for 38 hours per week. In the first instance, an employment contract will be given for 18 months; if positively evaluated, your contract will be extended for another 30 months.

On the basis of a full-time appointment, your gross monthly salary will be €2,266 during the first year, rising to €2,897 during the fourth year, excl. 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end of year bonus. The Collective Labour Agreement (Cao) of Dutch Universities is applicable including a salary rise of 2,6 % starting 1 February 2019.

Starting date:  1 September 2019 (later starting date negotiable). 

Job application

The UvA is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. The ILLC strives for a better gender balance in its staff. We therefore strongly encourage women to apply for this position.

Your application should include the following:

• your curriculum vitae;
• a list of grades obtained for your Master (or equivalent) programme; at this stage a certified document is not yet necessary;
• the name and contact details of one or two academic referees;
• a letter of motivation (max 2 pages) describing (i) your research interests and (ii) some concrete research questions that you would like to work on;
• the name of an ILLC staff member whom you would like to supervise your PhD project, as well as a motivation for your choice;
• a writing sample, such as a project paper or chapter of a master’s thesis, of up to 10000 words maximum.

Please supply this information in one single file in .pdf format (not zipped), using your initials and surname as a file name.

Please note the following:

• you may apply even if you have not yet completed your Master's degree. If this is the case, we need a signed letter from your supervisor stating that you will graduate before 1 September 2019;
• you are strongly encouraged to contact the ILLC staff member whom you have listed as your prospective supervisor to discuss your plans before applying formally.

Completed applications should be submitted by 23.59 hours (CET) on 20 January 2017 via the link below. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted..

The selection committee will make a shortlist of candidates from all applications received. Candidates on the shortlist will be contacted by the chair of the committee and will be requested to send a certified document listing their grades. Interviews of shortlisted candidates (if necessary, via Skype) will be held between 2 and 8 weeks after the closing date of the vacancy. #LI-DNP