Research Assistants: Social Repository of Ireland Project at NUI Galway and RIA

Dear all -

We have two short-term Research Assistant positions open on the Social Repository of Ireland Project (Irish Social Media Archive), run between the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at NUI Galway and the Digital Repository of Ireland at the Royal Irish Academy. These positions will run from mid-Jan/early Feb. for five months.

(1) Research Assistant at Insight, NUI Galway

The successful candidate will conduct research on the area of social media mining, natural language processing and social event detection and classification. She/he will also be expected to play a strong development role in the project.


Essential criteria for the applicant:

  *   Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Informatics, or relevant subjects.
  *   Strong Java or Python programming skills.
  *   Minimum two years software development experience.
  *   Knowledge of software design, development and maintenance processes.
  *   Strong background in front- and backend Web application development.
  *   Have experience in some, if not all, of the following:
     *   Social Media Mining
     *   Natural Language Processing
     *   Social Network Analysis
     *   Semantic Web and Linked Data technologies
     *   Stream processing
  *   Proven ability to work independently or in a team environment.
  *   The applicant should be creative and enthusiastic, with excellent communication skills.

It is desirable that applicant will possess:

  *   A Masters or MPhil degree in Computer Science, Informatics or relevant subjects.
  *   A Masters degree in Journalism, Communication, Political Studies or relevant subjects.
  *   Experience working in industry and developing commercial software products.
  *   Experience in / familiarity with the following is highly desirable:
     *   Natural Language Processing
     *   Text Mining
     *   Data Visualisation
     *   Data Verification
  *   A good record of theoretical and applied research on the Social Web and the Semantic Web, warranted by a scientific publication record in workshops, conferences, journals and book chapters and/or awards in national or international challenges.
  *   Excellent interpersonal communication and scientific writing skills.

Contact bahareh.heravi@insight-centre.org<mailto:bahareh.heravi@insight-centre.org> if interested

(2)  Research Assistant at DRI, Royal Irish Academy

The Academy is seeking applications for a five month contract position as DRI Research Assistant – Social Repository of Ireland.

The Social Repository of Ireland project is funded by Science Foundation Ireland Technology Innovation Development award, which was awarded to the DRI’s partners at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at NUI Galway.
The position is open to both internal and external candidates and is advertised on www.ria.ie,  www.heanet.ie and www.dri.ie
The closing date for applications is Friday, 19th December at 10 a.m. Late applications will not be considered.
The Social Repository of Ireland Project is an exciting interdisciplinary project which brings together research in social media event detection and verification with research in archiving online and born-digital materials for long term access. The project is funded by a Science Foundation Ireland Technology Innovation Development award, which was awarded to the DRI’s partners at the Insight Centre for Data Analytics at NUI Galway. The project aims to create a platform for capturing social media relevant to significant events in Ireland, annotating and contextualising it, and curating that data for archiving in a trusted digital repository. In addition to archiving and preservation, the study will develop practices for semi-automating the processes of annotation and archiving, enriching the data with contextual information from existing archives, and assessing legal and ethical issues that arise in the preservation of social media.

The Position: The Academy is seeking applications for a DRI Research Assistant – Social Repository of Ireland. This is a full time dedicated role and will be offered on the basis of a five month fixed term contract. This contract is to replace a vacancy on the project, and is therefore limited to the remaining term of the project. The successful applicant must be in a position to start no later than mid January 2015. The DRI Research Assistant - Social Repository of Ireland is an important role in this project, as the successful candidate will be responsible for drafting reports on various aspects of best practice in social media archiving, and will contribute to the requirements gathering process for the platform’s development. The successful candidate will be based in the lively and busy DRI offices at the Royal Irish Academy on Dawson Street, Dublin 2, and may be required to make a small number of trips to Galway for project meetings.

Reporting to the Social Repository Project Manager, Dr. Natalie Harrower, the Research Assistant will be responsible for:

  *   Working closely with the project manager, and working as part of a team with the project partners in NUIG, and the Director of the DRI
  *   Conducting research into the broad field of social media archiving
  *   Identifying key international projects relevant to social media preservation
  *   Determining and articulating best practices in social media archiving
  *   Drafting a series of reports on the steps involved in archiving social media (e.g. acquisition of material, annotation and contextualisation)
  *   Providing guidance on best practices to the technical team
  *   Meeting with members of the project and contributing to the project’s final shape
  *   Contributing to the project reporting and presenting project findings
  *   Any other duties assigned.

Qualifications and Experience: The successful candidate will be a self-motivated graduate with an excellent command of English, highly developed research skills, and excellent writing skills. Candidates must have:

• A third-level degree in a relevant area or equivalent work experience. A Master’s degree is desirable.
• Demonstrated expertise in research and report writing, which includes excellent communication
• skills and the ability to write clearly and concisely.
• Evidence of good knowledge of social media tools, especially Twitter
• Demonstrated understanding of information systems, libraries or archiving processes
• Evidence of initiative in defining research requirements
• Ability to absorb high-level requirements, and produce specific, detailed outputs that are commensurate with these requirements.
• Flexibility and proven ability to collaborate on an interdisciplinary project
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment and to deadlines

Salary: The salary scale applicable is the Research Assistant scale.
€19,995 to €29,637 p.a. (15 points) 1 November 2013 scale
Candidates should note that entry point will be in line with Government pay policy. The rate of remuneration may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Salary is payable on the 15th of each month. PRSI is payable at the A1 rate.
Hours of Work
The normal hours of work are 37 hours per week as follows:-
Monday to Thursday 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m with one hour for lunch
Friday 9:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m with 45 minutes for lunch
Hours of work may be adjusted from time to time in line with government policy. Overtime is not paid in respect of excess attendance which, should it arise, is discharged by time-off in lieu at times agreed in advance with the Director.

Leave: The annual leave entitlement is twenty-five days per annum, pro-rata for shorter periods and part time working. Entitlement to leave for Public Holidays is in accordance with the terms of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. There is a requirement to take up to four days annual leave where the Academy is closed at Easter and Christmas.
Medical: Staff shall, if required, and at the expense of the Academy, submit to a medical examination by a registered medical practitioner nominated by the Academy and shall authorise such medical practitioner to disclose and to discuss with the Academy the results of the examination and the matters which arise from it so that the Academy can ascertain any matters that they consider might impair a staff member from properly discharging his/her duties.
Pension: Details of the appropriate pension scheme will be provided upon determination of appointee’s status.
Pension-Related Deduction: This appointment is subject to the pension-related deduction in accordance with the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009.

Application Process
Completed applications consisting of one electronic copy (with all documents contained in one MS Word file/PDF) must be submitted by e-mail to hr@ria.ie<mailto:hr@ria.ie> in the order as set out below:-
1. A statement that clearly demonstrates how you meet the requirements of the post. This statement should be concise (300-500 words), well-organised, and well-written.

2. A curriculum vitae summarising your qualifications and relevant experience (Max 3 pages)

3. A sample of your writing, based on research you conducted. Please include only the first page of an article, report, essay, blog entry, etc. that you have written. This sample could be from a published item, or from a university essay, report, etc. Please cite the source on the page you submit.

Applicants will be shortlisted on the basis of information provided in their application.
Closing date: The closing date for applications is Friday 19th December 2014 at 10:00 a.m. Late applications will not be considered.

Interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place on 15th or 16th January 2015.

The Royal Irish Academy is an equal opportunities employer

Thanks,

John.
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[cid:5E0EC5B9-2138-4707-B69F-1B43BECE94AB]
Dr John Breslin http://linkd.in/johnbreslin http://twitter.com/johnbreslin

Senior Lecturer, Electronic Engineering, NUI Galway http://www.nuigalway.ie<http://www.nuigalway.ie/>
Researcher, Social Semantic Web, Insight Centre for Data Analytics http://insight-centre.org<http://insight-centre.org/>

An Dr Seán Ó Breasláin <http://twitter.com/johnbreslin> http://twitter.com/seanobreaslain

Léachtóir Sinsearach, Innealtóireacht Leictreonach, ÓE Gaillimh http://www.oegaillimh.ie<http://www.oegaillimh.ie/>
Taighdeoir, Social Semantic Web, Ionad Anailísíochta Sonraí Insight http://insight-centre.org<http://insight-centre.org/>