MacGillavry Fellowship, Assistant Professor Neuro-symbolic Integration for AI

Faculty/Services: Faculty of Science

Educational level: PhD

Function type: Academic Staff

Closing date: 30 November 2023

Vacancy number: 12169

Introduction

The Faculty of Science is organising a fourth round of our prestigious MacGillavry Fellowship programme in the coming academic year. We are asking female researchers who have a strong track record in Informatics and AI, and at the same time have the potential and ambition to obtain a leadership position as (associate/full) professor at the University of Amsterdam to apply.

For more detailed information see

https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/organisation/faculties/faculty-of-science/working-at-the-faculty/macgillavry-fellowship/macgillavry-fellowship.html

We are seeking to hire a new colleague at the Assistant Professor level who will develop an ambitious new line of research in the area of neuro-symbolic artificial intelligence (AI), with particular emphasis on natural language processing or related fields. We look forward to applications from excellent female candidates whose research programme brings together approaches from symbolic reasoning, knowledge representation or cognitive modelling with the recent advances in machine learning. The ILLC is home to world-leading research groups in logic and formal semantics, machine learning and natural language processing. An ideal candidate for this position would strengthen the link between the current research in neural natural language processing, language technology and symbolic AI, conducted by these groups

What are you going to do?

You will contribute to the development of the institute’s research profile by carrying out cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence. As a faculty member at the ILLC you will contribute to all aspects of the institute’s scientific mission.

This includes, in particular:

• Research:

  • developing an independent line of research; publishing your work in recognized outlets; supervising PhD candidates and postdocs; and supporting your research through the acquisition of funding from agencies such as the NWO and ERC, and possibly industrial partners;

• Teaching:

  • designing and teaching courses in bachelor and master’s programmes of AI, Informatics, and the Master of Logic (teaching is approximately 40% of the position’s total time); Moreover, you will supervise student research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels,

• Knowledge transfer:

  • engaging in outreach activities directed at the general public; and seeking cooperation with partner organizations in the private and the public sector.

• Professional service:

  • contributing to the proper functioning of the international scientific community through peer review, serving on relevant editorial boards and programme committees, as well as other relevant activities.

• Management:

  • contributing to management and administrative tasks at the institute, related to both education and research.

What do you have to offer?

In particular, we require:

• a PhD in Computer Science, NLP, AI, Logic or a related discipline;

• a strong track record of publications in renowned conference proceedings or journals;

• teaching experience at university level and demonstrable didactic abilities;

• experience with and commitment to supervising and mentoring students;

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

• the ability to communicate research findings to a broad audience;

• willingness and ability to perform relevant administrative and organizational tasks;

• team spirit and a strong affinity with the ILLC’s interdisciplinary environment;

• an excellent command of the English language and willingness to learn Dutch.

Our offer

We offer a temporary employment contract for a period of 18 months, with the intention of converting it into a permanent contract after a positive assessment.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 4.332,- to € 5.929,- (scale 11). This does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8.3% year-end allowance. The University job classification (UFO) profile of assistant professor is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

We also offer a startup package that includes a PhD position and sufficient travel money for conferences. We also offer a dedicated leadership mentoring programme that includes:

• leadership training;

• regular meetings with senior leadership in our university (Rector and Dean of faculty of Science);

• meetings with senior female role models in academia and industry;

• Support for participation in https://women.acm.org celebrations;

• and a female mentor of your own choosing.

We are actively committed to creating a workplace where issues of equality, diversity and inclusion are at the forefront. In particular, the diversity committee is pursuing a number of initiatives designed to support early-stage academics, particularly female academics, in their career progression.

Finally, besides the salary, startup package, 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;

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

• The possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch.

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 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, known 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 any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• Dr. Katia Shutova (e.shutova@uva.nl)

Job application

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below. We accept applications until and including 30 November 2023.

Applications should include the following information:

• a motivation letter;

• a curriculum vitae, including list of publications and taught courses;

• a research statement (2 pages maximum);

• a teaching statement (1 page maximum);

• Names, affiliations, and email addresses of three academic referees who can provide details about your academic profile in relation to this position (please do not include any reference letters in your application).

Please use the CV field to upload all documents as one single pdf file.

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.

We will invite potential candidates for interviews soon after the expiration of the vacancy.

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/ GBC451, please try using a VPN connection when outside of the European Union. Please reach out directly to our HR Department if the error continues. They will gladly help you with your application.