The Collaborative Research Center 1342 “Global Dynamics of Social Policy” at the University of Bremen invites applications for the following academic position –under the condition of job release-
PhD Researcher in Computer Science / Human-Computer Interaction
Salary Scale TV-L 13 (100%) starting September 1, 2018.
The position is a fixed term position until December 31, 2021.
Reference number: A189/18
The position is part of the Collaborative Research Center “Global Dynamics of Social Policy” (Globale Entwicklungsdynamiken von Sozialpolitik) funded by the German Research Foundation and will be located within the project:
A01. Measuring the global dynamics of social policy and cross-national interdependencies—Co-Creating the Global Welfare State Information System (WeSIS)
Project Description
The project aims to quantify the dynamics of socio-political interdependencies between countries on a global scale. For this, a web-based information system will be developed, which allows a comprehensive analysis of such interdependencies and which will empower social scientists to leverage state-of-the-art machine learning and visualization tools. This system will be co-created by an interdisciplinary team of 12 experts from the fields of political science, geography, and computer science. Together, we will envision, implement and evaluate novel software tools and techniques. The web-based information system will be the first to enable the dynamic measurement of social policy and horizontal and vertical interdependencies between countries on a global scale. WeSIS will also aggregate the findings of the collaborative research center in a central space. Eventually, WeSIS will contain data on social policy, country-specific characteristics, and political, economic, and social interdependencies across states as well as the countries’ integration into international organizations.
The goal of our computer science team in this project is to do groundbreaking research in the interdisciplinary field of computational social science by developing innovative tools and methods to empower the social scientists, making use of the special opportunity to collaborate with experts from multiple fields within the Collaborative Research Center.
Responsibilities
Our research questions will focus on the empowerment of social scientists through computational methods, especially in the areas of machine learning and data visualization i.e., data science. Therefore, we are looking for a computer scientist interested in these areas.
Together with a large group of social scientists, we will co-create an information system that gives a holistic picture of the global welfare state, made available as a web platform. With this in mind, our role includes to lead the design of the system within the co-creation process and to apply human-computer interaction principles throughout the design, development, and evaluation.
Your focus will be the development of machine learning and natural language processing applications. You will support creating the database management system and the system infrastructure.
Requirements
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Digital Media, Media Informatics, or a related field
- programming experience in one or more object-oriented programming languages such as Python, Ruby, Java, or equivalent
- experience with web development
- experience with database design and development
- fluency in English
Desirable
- experience with machine learning
- interest in advancing social science by envisioning and implementing computational social science tools
- experience with computational social science
- experience with user-centered and participatory design
- experience with co-creation
The University of Bremen has received a number of awards for its diversity policies and offers a family-friendly working environment as well as an international atmosphere.
The University is committed to a policy of providing equal employment opportunities for both men and women alike, and therefore encourages particularly women to apply for the position offered. Persons with disabilities will be considered preferentially in case of equal qualifications and aptitudes.
The University of Bremen explicitly invites persons with a migration background to apply.
If you have any questions regarding the position, please contact Prof. Dr. Andreas Breiter (abreiter@uni-bremen.de).
Applications including a cover letter, CV, as well as copies of degree certificates, should be submitted until August 15, 2018 to
Information Management
Research Group
Prof. Dr. Andreas Breiter
Am Fallturm 1 (Entrance F)
D-28359 Bremen
or by Email: Miss Ewa Zoschke
The costs of application and presentation cannot be reimbursed.