Postdoc Position in Neural Information Retrieval

At the University of Amsterdam, we are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who is interested in improving the robustness of neural search algorithms via better control over the information content of the vector representations. This research, at the intersection of information retrieval, natural language processing, and deep learning, will explore how fine-grained supervision signals and a new construction paradigm can improve the faithfulness and interpretability of dense and learned sparse representations of queries and documents.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Create, evaluate, and describe algorithms for fine-grained supervision of dense and learned sparse representations as textual content changes;
• Support the development of algorithms for creating robust and interpretable dense vector representations for search;
• Present research results at national and international conferences, workshops and journals;
• Become an active member of larger research community; collaborate with other researchers, both within and outside the consortium and Informatics Institute;
• Assist in teaching activities, such as teaching labs and tutorials or supervising bachelor and master students.

We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of 12 months. The preferred starting date is as soon as possible but can be discussed. If we assess your performance positive, your contract will be extended with 18 months.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,226 to € 5,090 (scale 10). UvA additionally offers an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UFO profile Researcher 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park, we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• Multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• Multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• Multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• Partly paid parental leave;
• The possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• A pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• The possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• Help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 42,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science (FNWI) has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

The research of the Information Retrieval Lab Amsterdam (IRLab) focuses on information retrieval: technology to connect people to information. We work on search engines, on recommender systems, and on conversational assistants. There is a heavy emphasis on data-driven methods, for understanding content, for analyzing and predicting user behavior, and for make sense of context. We combine fundamental, experimental, and applied research, and we do so by using a broad range of data: text, images, structured information. We are involved in many projects with other groups, both within and outside academia. Our research is funded by NWO, KNAW, the EU and through a range of public-private partnerships. We are strong believers of pursuing great science with great societal impact, and value an entrepreneurial spirit.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.