PostDoc position in Semantic Wev at IRISA (Rennes, France)

Hello,

The IRISA lab of University Rennes invites applications for the attached 
postdoctoral position.


*Job title: *postdoc 24 months, starting January 2024

*Project*: MeKaNo (ANR), 2023-2026

*Research Lab*: IRISA, Rennes, France

*Team*: LACODAM

*Contact*: ferre@irisa.fr, peggy.cellier@irisa.fr

*Keywords*: semantic web, knowledge graphs, query languages, microdata, 
user interaction

*Context and Objectives*:

In MeKaNo, we aim to search the web with "Things" (entities), in order 
to get more accurate results over a wide diversity of sources. 
Traditional web search engines search the web with strings. However, 
keyword search often returns many irrelevant documents, pushing users to 
refine their keyword list following a trial-and-error process. On the 
other hand, Knowledge Graphs (KG) like Wikidata [1] enable users to 
search for Things and facts, and to get exact answers. However, there 
may exist many answers on the web that are not part of the knowledge 
graph. Moreover, nowadays, many websites include entities and facts in 
the form of microdata [2], for which there is no query engine so far. In 
MeKaNo, we aim at combining the querying of knowledge graphs and 
microdata together in order to reconcile the accuracy of KG querying, 
and the diversity of web search.

To search the web with Things, we face several scientific challenges. 
Among them, an important one is the definition of a query language that 
combines knowledge graph querying, web search, and microdata querying. 
Another challenge is to assist users in the building of such complex 
queries [3]. We already have an approach (Sparklis [4]) that assists 
users in knowledge graph querying. The objective of the postdoc is to 
extend this approach to include web search and microdata querying.

*Requirements*:

The candidate must hold a Ph.D in Computer Science, preferably in the 
field of the Semantic Web. Skills in query languages (SPARQL), language 
design, web programming are a plus.

*Application method:*

To apply send an email to sebastien.ferre@irisa.fr and 
peggy.cellier@irisa.fr with attached a single PDF containing:

  *

    Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and
    qualifications for the position.

  *

    Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the
    contact information of references.

*References*:

 1.

    Vrandečić, D., & Krötzsch, M. (2014). Wikidata: a free collaborative
    knowledgebase. Communications of the ACM, 57(10), 78-85.

 2.

    Meusel, Robert, Christian Bizer, and Heiko Paulheim (2015). "A
    web-scale study of the adoption and evolution of the schema. org
    vocabulary over time."Int. Conf. on Web Intelligence, Mining and
    Semantics.

 3.

    G. Marchionini. Exploratory search: from finding to understanding.
    Communications of the ACM, 49(4):41–46, 2006.

 4.

    Sébastien Ferré. "Sparklis: an expressive query builder for SPARQL
    endpoints with guidance in natural language." Semantic Web 8.3
    (2017): 405-418.