PhD/Junior Researcher (w/m/x)

FIZ Karlsruhe – Leibniz Institute for Information Infrastructure is one of the leading provider of scientific information and services and a member of the Leibniz Association. Our core task is the professional support of science and industry with research and patent information as well as the development of innovative information infrastructures, e.g. with a focus on research data management, knowledge graphs and digital platforms. For this purpose, we conduct in-house research, cooperate with renowned universities and research associations and maintain an international network. FIZ Karlsruhe is a GmbH (a limited liability company) with a non-profit character and one of the largest non-university institutions of its kind in Germany.

Information Service Engineering (ISE) at FIZ Karlsruhe investigates models and methods for efficient semantic indexing, aggregation, linking and retrieval of comprehensive heterogeneous and distributed data sources. To this end, both statistical and linguistic analysis methods (NLP) as well as machine learning in combination with symbolic logic are applied. ISE research relies and extends on knowledge representation standards developed for the Semantic Web. ISE research application areas include but are not limited to solutions for knowledge extraction, semantic annotation, semantic and exploratory search, as well as recommender systems and question answering. Besides basic methodological research, domains of applied ISE research are, amongst others, cultural heritage, digital humanities, materials science, and research data management.

We are looking for a suitable person for the open position as PhD/Junior Researcher in the Information Service Engineering team at FIZ Karlsruhe starting at the nearest possible date.

Job Description:

• Conducting innovative research on exciting FIZ ISE research topics like ontological engineering, knowledge graphs, semantic and exploratory search, natural language processing and much more, with participation in scientific publications and other academic activities.
• The co-supervision of master and bachelor theses.
• The position is not bound to a specific project and is focused on PhD related research in the fields of knowledge graphs, deep learning, and Natural Language Processing (NLP). The doctorate will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Harald Sack (FIZ Karlsruhe & Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT, Institute of Applied Informatics and Formal Description Methods).

Qualifications and Skills:

• A very good master's degree in computer science or a comparable discipline.
• Excellent software engineering skills and the ability to develop mature software components beyond pure research prototypes.
• Excellent written and spoken English, German language skills are an advantage but are not mandatory.
• Motivation and excitement in dealing with challenging research problems and in developing convincing solutions as a team.

Optimally, you have expertise in one or more of the following research areas:

• Knowledge Graphs and Semantic Web Technologies
• Machine Learning and Deep Learning
• Natural Language Processing
• Ontology Design and Ontological Engineering

The candidate should be highly self-motivated, interested in tackling challenging research problems, have excellent organizational skills, be open minded, and have scientific leadership potential.

Why FIZ Karlsruhe:

• A highly motivated, social and enthusiastic international research team
• A supportive environment for developing your career plans and acquiring research funding
• An opportunity to gain scientific independence
• A mentor as part of your new team guiding you through the onboarding process
• Flexible working hours and modern mobile working
• Remuneration according to the German Collective Agreement for the Public Sector (TVöD VKA) including a company pension plan with VBL
• A family friendly work environment certified by audit berufundfamilie
• Company bike leasing option

The employment relationship is initially limited to two years, although our goal is a long-term cooperation. Applications from severely handicapped persons will be considered with preference, provided they are equally qualified. Information on data protection for job advertisements can be found here.

If you have any technical questions, please contact harald.sack [at] fiz-karlsruhe.de (Prof. Dr. Harald Sack). Questions regarding the application process should be directed to bewerbung [at] fiz-karlsruhe.de (bewerbung[at]fiz-karlsruhe[dot]de).

Please send your complete application documents by e-mail, quoting the reference number
21/2023, to bewerbung [at] fiz-karlsruhe.de (bewerbung[at]fiz-karlsruhe[dot]de). Application period until 07.11.2023.

1. detailed curriculum vitae
2. copies of degree certificates & transcripts
3. publication record or writing samples from your thesis
4. letters of recommendation (preferably at least two)
5. a letter of motivation