Research Assistant

Job description / Role

Job Description

We are looking for applicants to fill in a two-year Research Assistant position in a United Arab Emirates University funded project "SUBTLEX-AR: A Large Database for Modern Standard Arabic".

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Computational Linguistics/Natural Language Processing as well as in the development of front-end interfaces for database queries and the online administration of psycholinguistic experiments.

The successful applicant will work within a dynamic group involving researchers based at the Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language, Spain (Professor Manuel Carreiras), the University of Valencia, Spain (Professor Manuel Perea), and the UAEU (Professor Sami Boudelaa).

The tasks within the project include (but are not limited to): Collection of large data of movie subtitles in Arabic. Use of machine learning tools to process the raw data to restore vowels, developing semantic vectors for words and establishing the frequency for different linguistic units (e.g., syllables, roots, word patterns etc) Development of a friendly front-end interface to query the end-product which will be comprised of the movies subtitles data and a 40 million word corpus from ARALEX. Carry out large scale psycholinguistic experiments to validate the frequency statistics of the database

Requirements

Minimum Qualification
- Master or PhD degree in computational linguistics or natural language processing.
- The applicant must have good command of English. Knowledge of Arabic is not necessary, but it will be a plus.

Preferred Qualification
- Strong background in Computational Linguistics,
- Big data, machine learning,
- Python programming,
- Web Interface development,
- Evidence of publication in international conferences and/or journals.

Expected Skills/Rank/Experience
- The applicant is expected to be dynamic and highly motivated to work independently and with others.

About the Company

Founded in 1976 by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAEU is a comprehensive, research-intensive university enrolling about 14,000 Emirati and international students. As the UAE’s flagship university, UAEU offers a full range of accredited, high-quality graduate and undergraduate programs through nine Colleges: Business and Economics; Education; Engineering; Food and Agriculture; Humanities and Social Sciences; IT; Law; Medicine and Health Sciences; and Science. With a distinguished international faculty, state-of-the art new campus, and full range of student support services, UAEU offers a living-learning environment that is unmatched in the UAE.

As a research-intensive university of international stature, UAEU works with its partners in industry to provide research solutions to challenges faced by the nation, the region, and the world. The University has established research centers of strategic importance to the country and the region which are advancing knowledge in critical areas ranging from water resources to cancer treatments. UAEU is currently ranked the number one research university in the GCC, number two in the Arab World, and #370 globally.

UAEU’s academic programs have been developed in partnership with employers, so our graduates are in high demand. UAEU alumni hold key positions in industry, commerce, and government throughout the region. Our continuing investments in facilities, services, and staff ensure that UAEU will continue to serve as a model of innovation and excellence.