Research Associate for the Project “Discourse Analysis Toolsuite”

Universität Hamburg; Hamburg; On-site; EUR 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Reliable remuneration based on wage–TV

Continuing education opportunities

University pensions

Work-life balance opportunities

Health management

Educational leave

30 days of vacation per annum

Job summary

Universität Hamburg invites applications for a Research Associate in the Hub of Computing and Data Science (HCDS) to lead the Discourse Analysis Toolsuite (DATS) project. You will steer the development team, connect with researchers across domains, and push forward data-driven software for qualitative research.

Candidates should have a doctorate with data analytics and software development focus and strong Python, ML, and NLP/CV skills.

Qualifications

• PhD with strong data analytics and software development focus.
• Experience with interdisciplinary research is preferred.
• Excellent written and spoken English and German.

Responsibilities

• Lead the DATS development team for state-of-the-art research software.
• Coordinate project stakeholders across disciplines and researchers.
• Develop data-driven plugins from analytics to multimodal models.
• Ensure quality assurance and evaluation of applications.
• Conduct requirements analysis with prospective users.
• Provide consultancy on DATS extensions to scientists.

Skills

Python

Machine Learning

RAG

Databases

Elasticsearch

Docker

PostgreSQL

Cloud Infrastructure

Education

Doctorate in Computer Science / Data Science or Information Systems

Tools

Jupyter Notebooks

Transformers libraries

Job description

Research Associate for the Project “Discourse Analysis Toolsuite” § 28 Subsection 3 HmbHG

InstitutionHub of Computing and Data Science (HCDS)

Start date01.01.2027 pending approval of external funding, fixed until 31.12.2029 (This is a fixed-term contract in accordance with Section 2 of the academic fixed-term labor contract act [Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG]).

Scope of workfull-time position suitable for part-time

Your responsibilities

Duties include academic services in the project named above. Research associates may also pursue further academic qualifications outside of their work responsibilities.

The Hub of Computing and Data Science (HCDS) is a competence unit for research and forms the core element for the central support of digitalization and digital transformation in research at Universität Hamburg.

In the project “Discourse Analysis Toolsuite (DATS)" you will lead the development team to build state of the art research software for interdisciplinary qualitative research. DATS combines methods from Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Computer Vision (CV) to analyze heterogeneous, unstructured and multimodal research data. You will communicate the DATS in research domains, coordinate the project team, and systematically improve the software and add novel features based on emerging requirements.

• planning, implementation and maintenance of the DATS
• creation of user-friendly interfaces tied to expertise and needs of the users
• requirements analysis with the prospective users (researchers of all fields)
• development of all data-driven plugins for DATS, all the way from advanced data analytics to multimodal transformer models
• evaluation and quality assurance of the applications
• analysis and recommendation of state-of-the-art technologies for both models and infrastructure
• DevOps tasks within the scope of application development
• work at the interdisciplinary intersection within the scope of application development
• consulting for scientists of all domains about possibilities and implementations of DATS extensions

Your profile

A university degree in a relevant field, plus doctorate with a high share of data analytics and/ouf software development, esp. computer science, data science or information systems.

• programming knowledge (preferably in Python)
• experience with one or more of the following:
  • Machine Learning (esp. transformer models)
  • RAG and multi agent infrastructures
  • Databases and Data Engineering
  • Infrastructure for search
  • Knowledge-based systems
  • Data visualization
  • Frontend development
• interest in qualitative research in interdisciplinary settings
• interest and expertise in interdisciplinary research
• knowledge about Elasticsearch, Jupyter Notebooks, Docker and PostgreSQL is advantageous
• knowledge about DevOps, MLOps and Cloud Infrastructure is advantageous
• very good command of written and spoken English and German
• strong social and communication skills, initiative, motivation, high sense of responsibility, ability to work in a team and very good organizational skills

We offer

• Reliable remuneration based on wage agreements
• Continuing education opportunities
• University pensions
• Work-life balance opportunities
• Health management, EGYM Wellpass
• Educational leave
• 30 days of vacation per annum

Universität Hamburg—University of Excellence is one of the strongest research educational institutions in Germany. Our work in research, teaching, educational and knowledge exchange activities is fostering the next generation of responsible global citizens ready to tackle the global challenges facing us. Our guiding principle “Innovating and Cooperating for a Sustainable Future in a digital age” drives collaboration with academic and nonacademic partner institutions in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region and around the world. We would like to invite you to be part of our community to work with us in creating sustainable and digital change for a dynamic and pluralist society.

The University of Hamburg is committed to equity. Diversity enriches our university life, whether in our studies, research, teaching, education, or workplace. We therefore welcome all applications, regardless of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnic or social background, age, religion or belief, disability, or chronic illness.

Severely disabled and disabled applicants with the same status will receive preference over equally qualified non-disabled applicants.

Notice regarding the background check under Section34a of the Hamburg security clearance act (Gesetz zur Regelung der Sicherheitsüberprüfungen, HmbSÜG): On behalf of the person chosen in the selection procedure, this office submits an inquiry to the state office for the protection of the constitution (Landesamt für Verfassungsschutz) regarding any available findings/information which meet the statutory requirements ( background check and data protection information ).