Further Particulars - Job Opportunities

Research Associate - Literature-based Discovery for Cancer Biology (Fixed
Term)
Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (DTAL)
Salary: £28,695 - £37,394 pa
Start Date: 01st June 2015
Vacancy Reference: GZ05437
Closing Date: Midnight (BST) on Sunday 5th April 2015
Interview date: Week commencing Monday 20th April 2015, subject to confirmation
Further Particulars
Applications are invited for one post-doctoral Research Associate position in the
University of Cambridge, working with Dr Anna Korhonen on the Literature-based
Discovery for Cancer Biology project. The project is funded by the MRC and aims to
develop next-generation technology for automatic literature-based discovery which can
facilitate broad, deep, and dynamic discovery of new scientific knowledge from
biomedical literature.
Responsibilities of the successful candidate include research into novel, adaptive
techniques for natural language processing, text mining and data mining that can be
applied to discover new scientific knowledge in diverse biomedical literature. The
project will develop a tool for cancer biology which integrates the new technology and
supports the entire process of knowledge discovery from biomedical literature. The
post holder will take part in system architecture design (however, the implementation
will be carried out by a software engineer), performance evaluation, and dissemination
of research findings.
The project will involve close collaboration with the University of Cambridge Computer
Laboratory, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and Karolinska Institute
(Sweden) and will take place in the Computational Linguistics Research Cluster at
DTAL. This arrangement provides an excellent environment for research and career
development, as the post holder will benefit from the expertise of both NLP and domain
partners in this multidisciplinary project.
Candidates will have completed (or about to be awarded) a Ph.D. in a relevant field
such as computational linguistics, information retrieval, artificial intelligence, machine
learning, bioinformatics or computer science and be able to demonstrate an excellent
track record of independent research and strong publications. Essential skills include:
excellent programming skills, statistical natural language processing techniques,
machine learning, as well as proven collaborative/communication/networking skills.
Familiarity with biomedical text and data mining will be an advantage.
Terms and Conditions
Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 36 months in the first instance.
This is a 100% FTE post. Salary for this post will be in the range of £28,695 - £37,394
pa (points 39 to 48). Salary will normally rise annually by one point on the anniversary
of appointment. The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.
The appointment will run from 01st June 2015 for 36 months, and is subject to
satisfactory completion of a probationary period of six months. The post is pensionable,
and is based in the city of Cambridge.
The University of Cambridge and the Department of Theoretical and Applied
Linguistics
The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s leading Universities, with an
outstanding reputation for academic achievement and research and a leading centre
for Natural Language Processing. Cambridge comprises 31 Colleges and more than
150 departments, faculties, schools and other institutions plus a central administration.
The Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages is made up of five language
departments and the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (DTAL). DTAL
offers excellent support both in terms of research collaboration and infrastructure.
DTAL was formed in 2011 by merging the former Department of Linguistics and the
Research Centre for English and Applied Linguistics. The Department pursues an
interdisciplinary approach to theoretical and applied linguistics and conducts research
in a broad spread of areas which compliment the Literature-based Discovery project.
To Apply
To apply online for this vacancy, please click on the 'Apply' button below. This will route
you to the University's Web Recruitment System, where you will need to register an
account (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application
form.
In order for your application to be considered, please upload a covering letter, a
detailed curriculum vitae, a list of publications (if not included in your CV) and one
sample of a recent publication.
Applicants must provide the names and contact details of two referees who are familiar
with your work in the relevant field. It would be extremely helpful if both of your referees
could submit their letters of reference directly to the Faculty before the vacancy closing
date, so they can be considered at the shortlisting stage. Referees should submit their
letters to Dr Anna Korhonen by email to alk23@cam.ac.uk.
The closing date is midnight (BST) on Sunday 5th April 2015. Interviews will be held
during the week commencing Monday 20th April 2015, subject to confirmation. The post
is intended to start on 01st June 2015.
Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Anna Korhonen (alk23@cam.ac.uk). For
questions of procedure, please contact the Personnel Administrator, Adam Cooley, on
adc62@cam.ac.uk or 01223 760810.
Equal Opportunities Information
The University of Cambridge appoints solely on merit. No applicant for an appointment
in the University, or member of staff once appointed, will be treated less favourably
than another on the grounds of sex (including gender reassignment), marital or
parental status, race, ethnic or national origin, colour, disability (including HIV status),
sexual orientation, religion, age or socio-economic factors. The University’s Equal
Opportunities
Policy
and
Codes
of
Practice
can
be
found
at:
www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/hr/policy/equal.html.
Information if you have a Disability
The University welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities. Our recruitment
and selection procedures follow best practice and comply with disability legislation. The
University is committed to ensuring that applicants with disabilities receive fair
treatment throughout the recruitment process. Adjustments will be made, wherever
reasonable to do so, to enable applicants to compete to the best of their ability and, if
successful, to assist them during their employment.
We encourage applicants to declare their disabilities in order that any special
arrangements, particularly for the selection process, can be accommodated. Applicants
or employees can declare a disability at any time.
Applicants wishing to discuss with or inform the University of any special arrangements
connected with their disability can, at any point in the recruitment process, contact
Adam Cooley, the Personnel Administrator who is responsible for recruitment to this
position, on +44(0)1223 760810 or by email on adc62@cam.ac.uk.
For additional guidance and information, applicants can contact the HR Business
Manager responsible for the department they are applying to via
hrenquiries@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Further Information
There is a range of information which you may find helpful on the University’s website:
http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk. This includes details about applying for posts, the right to
work in the UK, working at the University, living in Cambridge, and lists of current
vacancies.
Vacancy Reference: GZ05437
Closing Date: Midnight (BST) on Sunday 5th April 2015
Interview date: Week commencing Monday 20th April 2015, subject to
confirmation
The University values diversity and is committed to equality of opportunity.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and
work in the UK.