[Infovis] Research Assist/Assoc Prof Position in Digital Humanities + DataVis, U of Edinburgh

Tue Jul 4 18:43:24 CEST 2023

Hi All, 

I am sharing a position for Prof. Melissa Terras in Digital Humanities / Humanities Informatics (University of Edinburgh) and have been told that Data Vis is one of the strategic goals for this post. The position is focused on research (no teaching!), with the aim to translate into a regular faculty position after that. It’s a very prestigious appointment at the same level as Assistant Prof or Associate prof (depending on experience).

Informal requests are best directed the contact indicated below, but myself (and Uta Hinrichs) are happy to talk about data vis @ Edinburgh more general and collaborate across a wide range of fields. 

Benjamin Bach
University of Edinburgh, 
VisHub, https://vishub.net

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Applications are sought by Edinburgh College of Art for a Chancellor’s Fellowship in Humanities Informatics: applied computing in the Arts and Humanities, designing data-led and data-rich approaches to research questions and data sources that place art, design, language, literature, history, and cultures at the heart of data science. This prestigious post is aimed at early career individuals of the highest potential and attainment who have begun to establish a reputation for the highest quality research related to the exploration and application of data-driven research methodologies to uncover new insights and enhance understanding in the realms of Arts, Humanities and Digital Humanities, and who also have a commitment to learning and teaching at university level. The candidate will have a strong track record and the potential to make a major contribution to the University’s Data Driven Innovation programme, in the areas of research, teaching, and enterprise related to Digital Humanities and computational Arts areas. This post will be an appointment in Design Informatics, within the School of Design, within ECA. The role will contribute to the delivery of a new strategic area in Humanities Informatics within Design Informatics (https://www.designinformatics.org/ <https://www.designinformatics.org/>). 

The positions will be on the Academic Staff scale. Appointments will normally be made on the grade 8 academic scale (£43,414- £51,805), dependent on experience and the normal practice within the discipline, but in exceptional circumstances a more senior appointment may be made at grade 9 (£54,949- £61,823). 

Closing date: Apply Before 28/08/2023, 23:59

Job Purpose:
To undertake research and knowledge exchange in Edinburgh College of Art, in the area of Humanities Informatics: applied computing in the Arts and Humanities, designing data-led and data-rich approaches to research questions and data sources that place art, design, language, literature, history, and cultures at the heart of data science. Alongside research activity, you will be expected to make a strong contribution to research-led teaching in Design Informatics and potentially in other areas such as EFI (https://efi.ed.ac.uk <https://efi.ed.ac.uk/>), and contribute to the establishment of Humanities Informatics as a strategic research area.

Candidate Information:

To be considered for this post, candidates should be able to demonstrate research and teaching qualifications, and a specific research interest, in one or more of the following areas related to Humanities Informatics: 
• Digital Humanities: the use of digital technologies and computational methods to enhance scholarship in Arts and Humanities disciplines, including topics such as text mining and analysis, digital archives and libraries, data visualization, digital storytelling, and the development and design of digital tools (including Artificial Intelligence) for Humanities research.
• Cultural Analytics: the design of data-driven approaches to analyze cultural artifacts, patterns, and trends, examining large-scale cultural datasets, such as literature, visual arts, music, design, and historical records, to gain new insights into cultural phenomena.
• Text Analysis and Natural Language Processing: the design of computational techniques to analyze and extract meaning from textual data, including text mining, sentiment analysis, topic modelling, named entity recognition, and machine learning, to understand and interpret texts in the Humanities, and design approaches to interrogate them.
• Data Visualization: the design of visual representations of data to aid in the exploration, analysis, and communication of complex information to uncover patterns, relationships, and narratives within Arts and Humanities datasets.
• Computational Linguistics: combining linguistics and computer science to design algorithms and models for analyzing and understanding human language. In Humanities Informatics, this research area is applied to study linguistic features in literary texts, historical documents, and other Arts and Humanities sources.
• Designing approaches to any other advanced and applied Digital Humanities area including Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, image processing, audio and music processing, GIS, High Performance Compute, etc, as applied to Arts and Humanities research.

A good candidate will be able to demonstrate high quality outputs and a track record of attracting external funding in Digital Humanities, Arts and Humanities, and/or Data Science. Of particular interest are those with experience in acquiring, cleaning, and managing large datasets from diverse sources, including structured and unstructured data. They will have experience working on interdisciplinary research projects that bridge the Arts and Humanities and applied Data Science to design novel approaches, and knowledge of ethical considerations and best practices in Digital Humanities research, particularly in relation to privacy, consent, and data protection.

Chancellor’s Fellowships are designed to support talented early career researchers to develop into a leading research-active academic at the University of Edinburgh. Given the particular barriers facing female researchers and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, the Chancellor’s Fellow scheme aims to appoint at least 50% female and 20% BAME applicants. We therefore particularly encourage applications from these groups and from other under-represented groups such as disabled candidates. We also encourage applications from those with non-traditional career paths, including those returning from a period of parental leave, or those who have moved to academia from a career in another sector. International candidates are welcome and will be supported through the process of visa application if required.

About the Institution:
The University of Edinburgh is a world-leading research institution, ranked #15 in the QS World University Rankings 2023, #29 in THES World University Rankings 2023, #32 in US News Best Global Universities, and #4 in the UK based on the quality and breadth of its research (known as research power) in the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021).

This post is associated with the Institute for Design Informatics (IDI, https://www.designinformatics.org <https://www.designinformatics.org/> <https://www.designinformatics.org/ <https://www.designinformatics.org/>>) a long-standing joint research initiative between the Schools of Design and Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. About to enter its tenth year, IDI successfully draws upon Edinburgh’s unique combination of strengths in Informatics and Design. Working with technology as a medium for practice-based enquiry, our program is designed to inspire, equip and nurture a new generation of researchers, practitioners and entrepreneurs at the intersection of data, design and emerging technologies. IDI has a wide-range of projects funded by grants from external funding bodies (e.g., UKRI, EU), with projects typically aiming to consider futures for design through a series of imaginative and provocative data-driven prototypes that help us to make ‘real’ through design the ideas that underpin the emerging data society.

The successful candidate will join IDI’s dynamic team of 50+ academics, researchers, software research engineers and professional services staff. They will contribute to the Institute’s diverse research, teaching and entrepreneurship activities, and help shape the future of a new strategic area for IDI: Humanities Informatics. This post will also work closely with the Edinburgh Futures Institute (https://efi.ed.ac.uk <https://efi.ed.ac.uk/> <https://efi.ed.ac.uk/ <https://efi.ed.ac.uk/>>) and the Edinburgh Centre for Data, Culture and Society (https://www.cdcs.ed.ac.uk <https://www.cdcs.ed.ac.uk/> <https://www.cdcs.ed.ac.uk/ <https://www.cdcs.ed.ac.uk/>>).

The culture of the University is open and diverse, and we are keen to replicate that in our appointments. We are the proud holder of a prestigious Athena SWAN Silver Institution Award recognising our work in supporting the advancement of gender equality in academia. As women and members of ethnic minorities are currently under-represented in posts at this level across many of our Schools, we are particularly keen to encourage applications from members of these groups. We are committed to support individuals looking to return to research after a career break for family, caring or health reasons. We also recognise that the Covid-19 pandemic may have disrupted candidates’ research and encourage applicants to note any major disruption to their research in their application materials (for example, due to caring responsibilities or health issues).

For more information, see this job advert: 

https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/requisitions/preview/7749/?keyword=humanities+informatics&mode=location <https://elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/requisitions/preview/7749/?keyword=humanities+informatics&mode=location>

Informal enquiries should be directed to Jillian Walker, ECA.HR at ed.ac.uk <mailto:ECA.HR at ed.ac.uk>
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Professor Melissa Terras
Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh
@melissaterras