Postdoctoral position (research assistantship) in "The Evolution of Linguistic Complexity", Edinburgh (Scotland), Deadline: 13 Oct 2016

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Postdoctoral position (research assistantship) in "The Evolution of Linguistic Complexity", Edinburgh (Scotland), Deadline: 13 Oct 2016

Research Assistant (Modelling)

Vacancy Ref: : 037299 Closing Date : 13-Oct-2016
Dr Kenny Smith kenny.smith@ed.ac.uk

The School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences is seeking to
appoint a 1.0 FTE Research Assistant for a fixed-term period of 24 months.
The position is to support a research project entitled "The Evolution of
Linguistic Complexity" which is funded by the European Research Council
and led by Dr Kenny Smith.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing computational
models of language learning, language use, and iterated learning. This
position requires someone with a PhD in Cognitive Science, Psychology,
Linguistics, Computer Science or related disciplines, programming skills
necessary for developing computational models of language learning and
language use, up-to-date knowledge of the current literature on modelling
human cognition. The post will be based in the Centre for Language
Evolution.

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Kenny Smith: kenny.smith@ed.ac.uk

This full-time position is 35 hours a week, and is available from the 1st
November 2016 for a fixed-term period of 24 months.

Salary: 31,656 - 37,768 per annum

Closing Date: 5pm GMT on Thursday 13th October 2016

Job Purpose

A full time post for a postdoctoral researcher with expertise in
computational modelling of human cognition is available in the Centre for
Language Evolution, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language
Sciences.

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious researcher to join a
major ERC-funded project The Evolution of Linguistic Complexity
(Principal Investigator: Dr Kenny Smith). We aim to explore how linguistic
complexity impacts on language learning, and how it evolves through
learning, use, and the transmission of language in complex social groups.
The post holder will be responsible for developing computational models of
language learning and use, using these models to fit experimental data and
generate predictions for experimental testing, and writing papers based on
this work. You will also be required to work closely with the postdoctoral
RA who is responsible for the experimental strand of the project.

Applications are invited from those with PhD in cognitive science,
psychology, linguistics, computer science, or a related discipline, and a
strong track record of research and publication in modelling human
cognition.

The post will be tenable from 1 November 2016 for 24 months

Informal enquiries should be addressed to Dr Kenny Smith
(kenny.smith@ed.ac.uk)

Main Responsibilities (approx % of time)

You will develop computational models of language learning, language use,
and iterated learning. These models will be used to generate predictions
for experimental testing using artificial language learning and iterated
learning paradigms, and/or fit to the results of such experiments to
estimate parameters underlying human behaviour. You will also be required
to write up the results of this work for publication in peer-reviewed
journals. Depending on your experience with experimental methods, you
might also be involved in the experimental strand of the research project,
in particular experiment design, preparation of experiment code (in
python), and analysis of experimental data. (70%)

You will contribute to writing manuscripts for publication, and presenting
results at international scientific meetings. (20%)

You will keep up-to-date with ongoing research associated with current
projects, and develop, accumulate and maintain knowledge of the relevant
scientific literature. (5%)

You will maintain accurate records of laboratory-based research and
administrative paperwork. (5%)

Planning and Organising

As the postdoctoral RA on this project, you will be expected to manage
day-to-day project objectives. Your primary responsibility will be to
build models, run those models and analyse results, and draft manuscripts
for submission. You will also work with the postdoctoral RA running the
experimental strand of the project, and may be involved in experiment
preparation and testing of participants if you have the requisite skills
or an interest in acquiring them.

You will be expected to work on your own initiative within guidelines set
up by the PI, who will be available for direction as required. You will be
expected to co-ordinate and liaise with other members of the research
group, and the project team will meet regularly to discuss progress on the
project, major challenges, and changes in priorities.

Problem Solving

You will be responsible for identifying and resolving unforeseen issues
with model design and analysis, together with input from other members of
the project team.

Decision Making

You will be responsible for making day-to-day decisions related to the
modelling strand of the project, and in conjunction with the PI and the
other postdoc on the project you will be responsible for steering the
overall direction of the project.

Key Contacts/Relationships

You will have daily contact with the postdoctoral RA running the
experimental strand of the project. Maintaining excellent communications
and a solid working relationship with this team member will be essential.

You will also have regular contact with the PI and other members of the
project team, at group meetings and informally at other times.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Needed for the Job

Qualifications/Training

Essential

A PhD in Cognitive Science, Psychology, Linguistics, Computer Science, or
related disciplines, with a strong emphasis on modelling.

Desirable

An undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.

Experience

Essential

Experience with modelling language learning and/or language use.

Desirable

Experience with probabilistic (Bayesian) modelling of language learning
and/or language use and/or iterated learning.

Experience of fitting such models to human behaviour.

Track record of publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Experience designing and running behavioural experiments with human
participants.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

Essential

Programming skills necessary for developing computational models of
language learning and language use.

An up-to-date knowledge of the current literature on modelling human
cognition.

The ability to prepare manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed
journals.

Desirable

Statistical analysis of experimental data using R.

Programming skills related to experiment design and stimulus presentation,
particularly in Psychopy.

An up-to-date knowledge of the current literature on iterated learning.

Personal Attributes

Essential

Enthusiasm and conscientiousness.

Excellent management and organisational skills with the ability to
communicate and interact effectively with the other members of the project
team, to coordinate multiple tasks, and to work with other investigators.

Desirable

Willingness to work flexibly depending on current project priorities,
including switching between modelling and experimental strands of the
project as required.

Dimensions

The work is part of a major project on how linguistic complexity develops
during language use and language transmission; the postdoctoral RA will,
in collaboration with the PI and other team members, be responsible for
implementing the study design as articulated in the grant application

Job Context and any other relevant information

The post holder will be based in the Centre for Language Evolution, PPLS
(Dugald Stewart Building), mostly likely in a shared office with other
researchers. The post is for a limited time and the grant holder will be
expected to deliver the objectives outlined in the project funded by the
ERC.

Application Procedure

All applicants should apply online by clicking the apply link at the
bottom of this page. The application process is quick and easy to follow,
and you will receive email confirmation of safe receipt of your
application. The online system allows you to submit a CV and other
attachments.

You will be notified by email whether you have been shortlisted for
interview or not.

The closing date is 5.00 pm (GMT) on Thursday 13th October 2016.

Eligibility to Work

In accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 the
University of Edinburgh, as an employer, has a legal responsibility to
prevent illegal working and therefore must check that all employees are
entitled to work in the United Kingdom (UK).

To do so, the University of Edinburgh requires to see original documents
evidencing right to work in the UK before commencement of employment and
this is normally carried out at interview. Details will be provided in any
letter of invitation to interview.

For further information on eligibility to work please visit our
eligibility to work website eligibility to work website

If you are not currently eligible to work in the UK, the University has
the authority to issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to successful
candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. The CoS enables candidates
to apply for a Tier 2 (general visa) in accordance with current UK Visas
and Immigration rules.

For applicants interested in sponsorship information is available on our
Working in the UK website

However, if you have previously been sponsored by an employer within the
UK but your leave has expired or lapsed and you are no longer in the UK,
according to Home Office Visa Immigration rules you cannot apply for
sponsorship under any category of Tier 2 for a period of 12 months after
the date your visa expired and/or you left the UK.

If you are an academic in the field of sciences; humanities; engineering;
medicine; digital technology; or the arts and come from outside the EEA,
it may be possible for you to apply for a Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent)
visa.

The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa route offers a greater flexibility in
your employment compared to other UK immigration routes, meaning you can,
for example, move organisation, location and/or job role. By contrast
with, a Tier 2 visa where you are tied to a UK sponsor. Tier 1 provides
greater flexibility in undertaking additional engagements, such as
collaborations and is intended as a route to settlement. Allowed absences
from the UK are up to 180 days per year without losing the eligibility to
qualify for settlement, with no restriction on the reason for absence
(unlike Tier 2, where any absences from the UK must be for a purpose
consistent with the persons employment or economic activity, including
paid annual leave, or for serious or compelling personal reasons).

You would initially need to apply to be endorsed as an internationally
recognised leader or emerging leader in your particular field by a
designated competent body (Arts Council England, British Academy, Royal
Academy of Engineering, Royal Society, Tech City UK).

Tier1 (Exceptional and Exceptional Promise) Endorsement Criteria

Once successfully endorsed, you are able to apply for a Tier 1
(Exceptional Talent) visa. More information on this entry route is
available at UKVI Website.

Conditions of Employment

Pension Scheme

This role is grade UE07 and therefore the post holder is automatically
included in membership of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS),
subject to the USS membership criteria, unless they indicate that they
choose not to join the Scheme.

For further information please visit our Pensions website Pensions
website.

Salary

The role is grade UE07 and attracts an annual salary of 31,656 - 37,768
for 35 hours each week. Salary is paid monthly by direct transfer to your
Bank or Building Society account, normally on the 28th of the month.
Salaries for part-time staff are calculated on the full-time scales,
pro-rata to the Standard Working Week.

Linguistics and English Language

Linguistics and English Language was placed first for Modern Languages and
Linguistics in the 2014 UK Research Excellence Framework, according to the
Times Higher Education Research Intensity ranking.

The department has 33 teaching staff and scores highly on student
satisfaction in the National Student Survey. The department covers an
exceptionally wide range of specialisms, including phonetics, phonology,
morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, developmental linguistics,
English language, language evolution, language & identity,
sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and speech technology.

The department also hosts the Bilingualism Matters Centre for Public
Engagement, which has 16 branches in Europe and the US, and the Angus
McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics, and is a founder member, along
with Informatics, of the cross-College Centre for Speech Technology
Research.

The department has access to fully-equipped facilities for EEG/ERP and
eye-tracking research, and a state-of-the-art sound studio. Linguistics
and English Language has a well-established postgraduate programme,
offering PhD study as well as taught MSc programmes. Undergraduate intake
in single and joint honours degree programmes is around 90 students, with
some 60 students electing to write their undergraduate dissertations
within Linguistics and English Language. Linguistics and English Language
has close ties with Psychology and Philosophy, the other two areas within
its home School; beyond the School, the department has links with
Edinburgh's renowned Schools of Education and Informatics.

www.lel.ed.ac.uk Linguistics and English Language Linguistics and English
Language was placed first for Modern Languages and Linguistics in the 2014
UK Research Excellence Framework, according to the Times Higher Education
Research Intensity ranking.

www.lel.ed.ac.uk

The School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences The School
comprises Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences (Linguistics and
English Language). The main aims of the School are to develop our
internationally-renowned reputation for research and to use this as a
solid foundation for our teaching.

In all subject areas the School is recognized as world-leading, as shown
in its high rankings across all areas in the 2014 Research Exercise
Framework.

There are 100 + academic staff within the School, and the breadth of
expertise ranges from analytic philosophy and the study of English
language, through theoretical and applied linguistics and experimental
psychology, to cognitive neurosciences and genetic influences on human
behaviour. The School is unique in offering outstanding opportunities for
inter-disciplinary teaching and in pioneering novel forms of research that
reach across traditional boundaries. Each year, the School welcomes a
diverse mix of undergraduate and postgraduate students from around the
world. The School has well-established links with other areas of the
University such Clinical Neuroscience, and Medicine, Informatics and
Edinburgh College of Art.

All subject areas have active links with research organizations outwith
the University, and a broad network of collaboration with a range of
universities around the globe. The School offers extensive support for
academics, including dedicated undergraduate and postgraduate teaching
offices, a highly experienced research support team, knowledge exchange
team and a highly skilled IT resources team.

The School facilities include a range of specialist laboratories and a
well-stocked and resourced School library which is supported by a
full-time librarian. This is in addition to the nearby University central
library. The School is located across two buildings set in the heart of
the Universitys George Square campus.

www.ppls.ed.ac.uk

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
(http://www.ed.ac.uk/arts-humanities-soc-sci) The College of Arts,
Humanities and Social Sciences is a large and diverse part of the
University. Led by Vice-Principal Professor Dorothy Miell, it has 12,600
undergraduates, 4,500 taught postgraduates, 2,000 research students and
more than 3,100 academic and professional services staff. The College
incorporates 11 Schools (Business; Divinity; Economics; Edinburgh College
of Art; Education; Health in Social Sciences; History, Classics and
Archaeology; Law; Literatures, Languages and Cultures; Philosophy,
Psychology and Language Sciences; and Social and Political Science), the
Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and the Centre for Open
Learning. The College is located on multiple sites across Edinburgh, with
the majority of Schools and College Offices based close to the central
George Square area. The College, which is recognised as one of the world's
leading centres for the arts, humanities and social sciences in research
and teaching, has been growing and investing strongly in recent years.

Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF2014)

The College operates at the highest levels of international quality across
a very wide range of disciplines in the arts, humanities and social
sciences and submitted the work of more than 750 staff to 23 Units of
Assessment in the Research Excellence Framework 2014. The College achieved
a superb result, combining a large-scale, broad and diverse submission
with very high quality outcomes: 86% of its research impact and 76% of the
overall quality profile were assessed as world-leading (4*) and
internationally excellent (3*). Using the widely used Research Power index
(which combines the submission's overall score for 3* and 4* work with the
volume of staff submitted), 12 of the Colleges Units were ranked within
the top five in the UK, and 18 were ranked first in Scotland. With an
assessment of more than 95% at 3* and 4*, we're particularly proud of the
outstanding research environment we create for staff and research
students.

The University of Edinburgh For more than four centuries, our people and
their achievements have rewritten history time and again. Theyve explored
space, revolutionised surgery, published era-defining books, paved the way
for life-saving medical breakthroughs and introduced to the world many
inventions, discoveries and ideas from penicillin to Dolly the sheep. We
have believed that anything is possible, we still do. The latest Research
Excellence Framework highlighted our place at the forefront of
international research. This adds to our international reputation for the
quality of our teaching and our student experience excellence. The
University is proud of its success with online teaching initiatives, with
2550 students currently studying its online distance learning postgraduate
programmes, and a total to date of moe than 2 million enrolments for
Edinburgh MOOCs.

As a member of staff, you will be part of one of the world's leading
universities, with 20 Schools spread over 3 Colleges that offer more than
1600 undergraduate and 600 postgraduate programmes to over 35,000 students
each year. Professional services are critical to this success as well as
our world-class teaching, research and student facilities. In fact, we are
one of the top employers in Edinburgh, with over 13,000 people spread
across a wide range of academic and supporting roles.

As a world-changing, world-leading university, we offer an exciting,
positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. We give you
support, nurture your talent, develop and reward success and integrate
academic, professional and personal career goals, as well as give your
career the benefit of a great and distinguished reputation. In addition,
our employees benefit from a competitive reward package and a wide range
of staff benefits, which include generous holiday entitlement, a defined
benefits pension scheme, staff discounts and much more. Access our staff
benefits page for further information and use our reward calculator to
find out the total value of pay and benefits provided.

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in
recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher
education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also
Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.
The University has a range of initiatives to support a family friendly
working environment. See our University Initiatives website for further
information.

The University has a range of initiatives to support a family friendly
working environment. See our University Initiatives website

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