Researcher in Natural Language Processing applied to Investigative Journalism

The Artificial Intelligence Lab is a joint research centre for OsloMet and SimulaMet. It coordinates research activities and student projects in artificial intelligence, both applied and basic research. The AI is composed of multiple research groups, most of them with a highly interdisciplinary profile and with collaboration with important national and international stakeholders within the government, academia and industry.

The Department of Journalism and Media Studies educates professionals in journalism, photojournalism and media and communication through three bachelor’s programmes and one master's programme. The department's study programmes are closely connected with the department’s research activities, which are internationally oriented and cover topics such as media, war and conflict; digital journalism; media innovation, entrepreneurship and design; media, environment and society; and individual exposure in journalism.

Job description

The Artificial Intelligence Lab, in collaboration with the research project Making Transparency Possible at the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, is offering two temporary (6 months, with possible extension) Researcher (code 1109) positions in the field of Natural Language Processing in the Department of Computer Science at Oslo Metropolitan University.

The candidates will be part of an interdisciplinary project between AI/ML and Investigative Journalism where they will contribute by developing tools, mining texts and analyzing big corpus of sensitive textual data to draw insights that may corroborate or refute journalistic hypothesis, summarize documents or support investigative journalism in other ways.

The candidates will be in direct contact with stakeholders in the national and international sector. Thus, good communication skills, desire and ability to work in interdisciplinary groups is desirable.

The ideal candidate would have deep interest and/or experience within the discipline of journalism, have experience with deep learning within the context of natural language processing, good programming skills and desire to impact society.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Develop and contribute with the development of tools to support investigative journalism
• Carry out own research within the scope of AI/NLP applied to investigative journalism
• Disseminate the project’s results and outcome through appropriate channels (journals, conferences, media)
• Perform research related administrative tasks
• Participate in research collaborations with national and international partners
• Participate in the development of research projects and applications for external funding together with colleagues in the academic/media community
• Contribute to further developing the academic community, the culture of excellence within the AI Lab, and good work environment

Qualification requirements

• Degree equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in a relevant technical area for the position
• Proven experience in applying text-mining and natural language processing methods to analyze big corpus of text (in research or in industry)
• Strong programming background
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary team
• Proactive and able to work independently
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
• Additional degree or experience in journalism is an advantage
• Proven experience with deep-learning in the context of NLP is an advantage
• Proven experience in automatic text summarization is advantageous
• Experience with computer vision is an advantage

It is important for OsloMet to reflect the population of our region, and all qualified candidates are welcome to apply. We make active endeavours to further develop OsloMet as an inclusive workplace and to adapt the workplace if required. If there are periods where you have not been in work, under education or in training, you are also welcome to apply.

How to apply

Please upload the following documents together with your application before the final date for application:

• CV (including the name and contact information of at least two references)
• A complete list of publications, highlight the most relevant work for the position
• Copies of certificates/diplomas
• A copy or summary of your PhD thesis

We only consider applications submitted through our electronic recruitment system and all documents must be uploaded for your application to be considered. You must upload all the documents in order for your application to be processed. The documents must be in either English or a Scandinavian language. Translations must be authorized. Originals must be presented if you are invited for an interview. OsloMet checks documents in order to give you as a candidate a proper evaluation and ensure fair competition.

If you have documents that cannot be uploaded electronically, please contact HRTKD@oslomet.no

We offer

• A professionally stimulating and friendly working environment in one of the fastest growing environments for Artificial Intelligence in Norway
• The opportunity to participate in the largest initiative on AI in Journalism in Norway, with great opportunity for networking and career progression
• Access to the largest High Performance Computing platform in Norway (eX3)
• An exciting job opportunity at Norway’s third largest and most urban university
• Participation in a dynamic professional environment and unique academic community
• The opportunity to be part of the development of a young and ambitious university with an entrepreneurial culture
• Academic development as part of a group of committed colleagues.
• Opportunities for academic development in a professional research environment

The position is remunerated in accordance with the Norwegian State salary scale 60-74, job code 1109. The salary is NOK 535 200 – 694 400 per year. A higher salary may be considered for particularly well-qualified applicants.

Other information

For more information about the position, feel free to contact the leader of OsloMet’s AI Lab or the coordinator of Investigative Data Journalism.

• Professor Roy Krøvel, email: roy.krovel@oslomet.no - Coordinator of investigative data journalism
• Associate Professor Gustavo B. Moreno e Mello, email: gustavo.mello@oslomet.no - Leader of OsloMet Ai Lab.

If you wish to apply for the position, please do so via our application portal.

 

Ref: 21/05243
Application deadline: 15.06.2021

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