Post-doctoral researcher in multimodal communication

The Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki invites applications for the position of

POST-DOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION

for a fixed-term period of 48 months, starting in September 2024 or as agreed.

This position is based at the newly founded Multimodality Research Group in the Department of Languages and funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant awarded to Associate Professor Tuomo Hiippala . The project develops novel methods and resources for studying multimodality, or how human communication naturally combines multiple ‘modes’ of expression. These methods and resources are used to develop empirically founded theories of multimodal communication in the domain of everyday cultural artefacts. The data studied in the project includes, for example, school textbooks, user-generated explanation videos on social media, news broadcasts, instruction manuals and online newspapers.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The post-doctoral researcher is responsible for developing large corpora that describe the multimodal structure of the page-based and audio-visual media studied in the project. To scale up the corpus size, the data will be described by crowdsourced non-expert workers. The post-doctoral researcher is therefore expected to design crowdsourcing tasks that generate descriptions of the data, which can be then converted into systematic annotations. The post-doctoral researcher will also participate in developing new methods for analysing large multimodal corpora created in the project. In addition to conducting research, the post-doctoral researcher is expected to report the results in lead- and co-authored publications submitted to suitable venues, which will be determined collaboratively with the PI.

QUALIFICATIONS

The appointee must hold a doctoral degree in linguistics, semiotics, media studies or a related field, with an explicit focus on multimodal communication. The appointee must have a deep understanding of contemporary theories of multimodality relevant to the domain of the project. Previous experience of designing and implementing annotation schemes for multimodal corpora is essential. Knowledge of programming languages such as Python and mark-up languages such as XML and JSON is considered an advantage; willingness to learn is expected. The appointee must be able to work both independently and as a part of a multidisciplinary research group consisting of researchers with diverse backgrounds. Strong teamwork skills and an excellent command of written and spoken English are also required. The appointee is expected to reside in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area while employed by the University of Helsinki.

WHAT WE OFFER

The University of Helsinki is Finland’s oldest and largest academic institution, an international scholarly community of 40,000 students and researchers. In international university rankings, the University of Helsinki is usually within the top 100 universities in the world. The University of Helsinki is seeking solutions to global challenges and engendering new thinking for the benefit of humanity.

The University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Arts is Finland’s oldest and largest unit of teaching and research in the arts in terms of the organisation and selection of its disciplines. The faculty is also a significant international community of research, education and culture. The Faculty of Arts studies and teaches languages and literature spoken in Europe and the rest of the world, in total almost 40 languages. It also develops general theories of linguistics, translation and literary studies.

The successful candidate will become a part of vibrant research community at the Faculty of Arts. The four-year position offers an excellent opportunity to conduct pioneering research on the multimodality of human communication in a multidisciplinary environment. The project provides generous funding for conference travel, networking and crowdsourcing. The project also offers access to state-of-the-art computing resources provided free-of-charge by the CSC – the IT Center for Science.

The starting salary for the position ranges from 3720 to 3920 euro per month, depending on experience and qualifications. The selected candidate is also expected to contribute to teaching, which is limited to 10% of annual working time. Standard Finnish pension benefits and occupational health care are provided for university employees. The employment contract will include a probationary period of six months. The University of Helsinki provides its staff with occupational health and fitness services, professional development opportunities, as well as a first-class research and teaching environment and the conditions necessary for international cooperation. Read more about staff benefits on our website .

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit your application, together with the required documents, through the University of Helsinki Recruitment System via the link “Apply now” (“Hae nyt”). Applicants who are currently employed by the University of Helsinki are requested to submit their application via the SAP Fiori portal at https://msap.sap.helsinki.fi.

The closing date for applications is May 1, 2024.

The applicants are requested to provide the following documents written in English with their application:

A statement of motivation for applying for the position, how the applicant would contribute to the project and a description of the applicant’s core methodological skills (max. 750 words),

A curriculum vitae with contact information for two references,

A list of publications with key publications relevant to the position highlighted.

FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information about the position and the research project, please contact Associate Professor Tuomo Hiippala ([email protected]).

If you need assistance with the University’s electronic recruitment system, please contact [email protected].