Assistant Professor in Computational Social Science

Faculty/Services: Faculty of Science

Educational level: PhD

Function type: Academic Staff

Closing date: 20 January 2023

Vacancy number: 10925

Introduction

Are you a passionate and committed teacher and researcher in computational social science who also is well-versed in cutting-edge methods in AI? Would you like to be involved in innovative computational social science teaching and research, working with leading researchers in an interdisciplinary academic environment?

We are looking to fill a position for an Assistant Professor in Computational Social Science. You will play an important role in the new inter-faculty undergraduate programme in Computational Social Science and will be based at the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC). We are looking for candidates conducting research at the intersection of responsible AI and computational social science. Areas of particular interest include natural language processing and its applications in computational social science as well as computational social choice. We welcome applications from candidates with a proven track record in one of these areas, whose research agenda fits well with and complements existing research conducted at the ILLC. Notwithstanding the above focus, applications from outstanding candidates in other areas of computational social science and AI will also be considered.

What are you going to do?

As Assistant Professor at the ILLC you will combine teaching (40%) and research (60%), which is the standard teaching/research ratio for faculty members at the ILLC.

Most of your teaching will take place in the new Computational Social Science programme, which accepted its first cohort of students in 2022 and the shaping of which you will have the opportunity to actively contribute to. In this programme, students develop skills to design, create, apply, and appropriate digital technology and data science to benefit society. What is special about this programme is that all teaching activities are organised around projects within intensive, semester-long courses and require active engagement from each student. Beyond this, there might also be opportunities to contribute to other programmes, such as our BSc and MSc programmes in AI, Brain and Cognitive Science, and Computer Science.

As Assistant Professor, your furthermore will be expected to perform all the usual tasks of a faculty member, such as:

• developing an independent line of research in your area of expertise, resulting in contributions published in leading international journals and/or conferences;

• eventually building up and coordinating a research team and supervising PhD candidates;

• supervising thesis projects for Bachelor's and Master's students;

• initiating and contributing to proposals for the acquisition of external funding;

• contributing to outreach activities and knowledge transfer;

• providing service to the international scientific community through activities such as peer review and membership in relevant editorial boards and programme committees;

• contributing to management tasks related to teaching and research at the institute.

What do you have to offer?

You are excited about contributing to research at the interface of computational social science and AI, and your research agenda fits well with and complements existing research conducted at the ILLC (e.g., in natural language processing, responsible AI, or computational social choice). You believe in the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and feel at home in discussions with a wide range of disciplines in Computer Science, the Social and Behavioural Sciences, and the Humanities. You are a creative team player who does not shy away from entering new scholarly terrain. You show creativity, accuracy, and perseverance. You value universities as sites for independent thought and academic progress, working together with stakeholders inside and outside of academia. You take initiative, have excellent communication skills, and you are well equipped to work in a team as well as independently. Through excellent research you aim for social impact.

You furthermore should:

• hold a PhD in AI or another relevant discipline;

• have a proven capacity to publish in well-respected journals and/or conferences;

• have experience in / affinity with interdisciplinary teaching and research;

• be able to help students acquire basic skills in the areas of statistics, data science, machine learning, social network analysis, and programming;

• be willing to obtain the Dutch Basic Teaching Qualification for academic staff (BKO) within two years of your appointment;

• have excellent English language skills and be willing to learn Dutch.

Our offer

We offer permanent employment as tenured Assistant Professor upon a satisfactory evaluation following a temporary employment contract of a maximum of 18 months.

The gross monthly salary will range from € 3,974 to € 5,439 (scale 11), depending on relevant prior experience. These figures apply in case you opt for a full-time contract of 38 hours per week (part-time arrangements of 0.8fte are possible as well). The annual salary will be supplemented with an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the so-called ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities applies.

We would prefer candidates to start as soon as possible, so as to have ample time to prepare for teaching in the academic year of 2023/24. You will be expected to start teaching from September 2023, and not before that date.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;

• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;

• multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;

• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;

• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;

• partly paid parental leave;

• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;

• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;

• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;

• help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

About us

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Amsterdam in which researchers from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Humanities collaborate. Research at the ILLC brings together insights from various disciplines concerned with the study of fundamental principles of encoding, transmission, and comprehension of information, such as computer science, AI,, computational linguistics, mathematics, logic, philosophy, and cognitive science. The institute offers a friendly and international research environment with world-class faculty in all of its areas of specialisation. We are based in the beautiful city of Amsterdam, renowned for its historic system of canals, its laid-back cosmopolitan atmosphere, and its excellent connections to the rest of Europe and the world.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Any questions?

Do you have questions about this vacancy? You are very welcome to get in touch with the chair of the search committee:

• Prof.dr. Ulle Endriss

Job application

The ILLC strives for a better gender balance in its staff. We therefore strongly encourage women to apply for this position.

Do you recognise yourself in this job profile? Then we would like to hear from you! Your application should include the following information (in one single PDF document):

• a cover letter (of up to three pages), discussing in some detail your past and ongoing research, your future research plans, your teaching philosophy, and your qualifications for teaching in the Computational Social Science programme;

• your CV, including a summary of your past teaching and supervision activities as well as your list of publications (please highlight and provide non-paywalled URLs for two publications that are representative of your work);

• names, affiliations, and email addresses of three academic referees who can provide details about your academic profile in relation to this position.

Additional information may be requested from shortlisted candidates at a later stage. Interviews are planned for the week of 6-10 March 2023. A trial lecture may be part of the selection procedure. Please mention your wishes and constraints regarding the starting date in your cover letter.

Please submit your application no later than 20 January 2023 (end of day, Amsterdam time), using the link below. Please use the CV field to upload the PDF document specified above (and do not submit a separate document with a cover letter). We will only consider applications that are complete and that have been submitted in this manner.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

If you encounter Error GBB451, reach out to our HR Department directly. They will gladly help you continue your application.