Postdoctoral Position in Information Retrieval

Qatar University (QU), the University of Maryland (UMD), and RMIT University are seeking applications for a postdoctoral researcher position for the development and evaluation of next generation real-time question-answering technology for Arabic microblogs.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to conduct research (including design, implementation, and evaluation) on information retrieval problems (e.g., expansion techniques and topic detection), including “big data” challenges (e.g., dealing with real-time streams and potentially billions of tweets). In addition, the successful candidate will have freedom to pursue their own innovative ideas within the scope of the project.

The position is based in Doha, Qatar at the Qatar University campus. The team is led by Tamer Elsayed (Qatar University), in close collaboration with Douglas W. Oard (University of Maryland, College Park, USA) and Mark Sanderson (RMIT University, Australia), and with students at all three universities. The successful candidate will rotate annually between the three universities, being based in Qatar and spending one month at UMD and one month at RMIT each year to foster strong interaction across the entire research team.

Requirements

We are seeking a creative and highly-motivated researcher with experience in information retrieval, text mining, social media analytics, computational linguistics, machine learning, or a related field.  Preference will be given to candidates who combine expertise in several fields and candidates who have experience with scalable solutions (e.g., MapReduce, NoSQL). A strong publication record in top-tier conferences and/or journals is required. Effective spoken and written communication skills in English are required; neither Arabic language skills nor experience with Arabic language processing are required, but either would be a plus.

Why would I go to Qatar?

Qatar, located on the east coast of the Arabian peninsula, has a per-capita GDP among the highest in the world. Qatar’s capital, Doha, is a vibrant, cosmopolitan, and safe city with easy access to the world. Doha, home to several universities, Al Jazeera, and the Qatar Computing Research Institute, is rapidly emerging as one of the premiere venues for language technology and social media research, and it was recently selected as the host city for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

This position in Qatar offers a competitive, tax-free salary, health insurance, and additional financial allowances for housing, transportation, travel, and children’s schooling, according to QU policy. The position comes with support for attending conferences and equipment, and provides significant opportunities for professional development.

Start Date

The position is available immediately.

Applying

To apply, please send the following information as PDF to telsayed@qu.edu.qa:

- CV

- Statement of research interests (maximum 1 page)

- Names and email addresses of at least 3 references