Job posting: Applied scientist in NLP and IR

Applied scientist in NLP and IR

WizeNoze is a Dutch Startup that wants to make internet a better place for children. In 2009 the European Union granted 4 million to do a European research in Information Retrieval Systems for children. The Academic research analyzed the different needs and capabilities of children in their learning cycle and adapted the current technology to those needs and capabilities. The research ended in June 2012 and as a result an Open Source Platform was delivered, combined with many solutions to enable children to independently find their way on the internet. In January 2013 WizeNoze was founded to further improve the internet for children and now counts approx. 10 employees. We want to make the internet a better place by developing jouwzoekmachine.nl a search engine for children and a tool to translate adult text into age specific text for children. We are located in Amsterdam (Netherlands).

As an Applied Researcher and developer in Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval, you will participate in finding and developing algorithms for the solutions of WizeNoze. You will identify, invent and implement algorithms as well as evaluate the impact on the developed software for WizeNoze. You will be part of an ambitious team with proven track record and work with other PhDs.

Essential Responsibilities

- Identify and solve key technical questions and issues related to our search engine and text classification technology for children
- Individually contribute and conduct research on new algorithms for current and future WizeNoze technology, including design and implementation of these algorithms
- Evaluate new and existing IR and NLP algorithms. Using standard test collections where available or creating our own test collections and strategies when necessary
- Implement new and existing algorithms in Java and make them robust and scalable enough for use in production software
- Effectively communicate results by preparing written reports and making presentations describing analyses performed, solutions developed, and value obtained

Qualifications/Requirements

- PhD in Information retrieval, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing or Artificial Intelligence
- Demonstrated experience with Java (1-3 years). Writing production web backends in Java
- API development. REST, HTTP, JSON, etc.
- Willing to work (flexible) out of an office located in the center of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Desired Characteristics

- Recognized in the scientific community as a leading expert in algorithms
- International scientific publication record
- At least 1 years of post-doctoral experience in business-to-business environment (experience in a startup is a pro)
- Strong analytical skills
- Clear evidence of innovation, creativity and a positive thinker
- Excellent work ethic and able to work in a start-up environment
- Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English (Knowledge of Dutch is a pro)
- Exceptional passion for science, technology and children

What do we offer you?

- Access to the latest technology and algorithms (eg from academia)
- Work on innovative products that improve the internet for children and will be used internationally
- Work with experienced engineers and a professional and diverse team
- An excellent growth perspective
- A flexible working environment and an office in downtown Amsterdam

WizeNoze is a highly professional venture with a nice and open atmosphere. We invite an active participation in all aspects.

Want to know more? Contact us for more information. To apply send in your resume with a cover letter to jobs@wizenoze.com