The CRC 1475 Metaphors of Religion is recruiting a Research Software Engineer (DH-RSE) / Research Assistant  (m,f,x) in Digital Humanities

The CRC 1475 “Metaphors of Religion: Religious Meaning-Making in Language Use” and its subprojects A01 “Path and Guidance: Interpretations of Qur’anic Metaphors of Space and Movement in the Tafsīr Literature” and INF “Metaphor Base Camp” are searching for a Research Software Engineer (DH-RSE) / Research Assistant  (m,f,x) in Digital Humanities for a pilot project to apply computational text analysis methods to a corpus of 80 Arabic and Persian-language Tafsir (exegetical works on the Qur’an), 39,83 hours per week, TVL E13. The position is to be filled as soon as possible and is limited until 30 June 2026.

Pertinent methods include collocation analysis, text-reuse detection, topic modelling, and other machine learning methods with the aim of supporting metaphor analysis. Ideally, the analyses conducted in this pilot study should be designed to be applicable to other subprojects in the CRC that work with different languages.

The CRC 1475 is an interdisciplinary research network consisting of 16 projects and more than 40 scholars. The CRC combines research in religious studies, philology, and linguistics on the significance of metaphors for the formation of religious meaning-making. The research is conducted in a historical-diachronic as well as culturally comparative perspective. It has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since 2022. Sub-project A01 examines the role of Qur'anic metaphors of space and movement in the Tafsir literature with regard to the making of religious meaning. The INF project establishes the digital research infrastructure of the CRC, which serves to promote a common methodological basis for all projects and enables comparative research across languages and religious traditions. It contributes to the conceptual and methodological development of the CRC, including the creation of a common repository, a thesaurus, and annotation services; tools for corpus analysis and interactive visualisation; and the integration of computational methods developed by other sub-projects.

Your tasks:

• Identifying and prioritising suitable technologies and distant reading approaches in cooperation with the team (e.g. word embeddings, topic modelling, network analysis)
• Conducting independent case studies based on several different technologies and approaches Summarising the results in cooperation with the team
• Contributing to the writing of a research proposal with a focus on computational analysis of religious metaphors in Arabic and Persian Tafsir literature (and potentially in other text corpora)

Your profile:

• You have successfully completed academic studies (master's degree: university or university of applied sciences / "diploma" or equivalent; a doctorate is desirable) in the field of Digital Humanities, Computational Linguistics, Computer Science, or in a Social Sciences and Humanities subject with extensive experience in the field of computational methods
• You possess profound programming skills in a modern programming language (e.g. Python, R, SQL, Java)
• You enjoy working in an international and interdisciplinary team and are happy to participate in knowledge transfer
• You have a diverse skill set and are experienced in one or several of the following items: Natural Language Processing (NLP) corpus linguistic methods Arabic and/or Persian language skills
• In addition, the following qualifications are desirable: You have experience with the development of research software tools and packages aimed at researchers within the social sciences or humanities You know how to use information visualisation techniques You have good knowledge of version control systems (e.g. git, GitLab) You are well versed in DH infrastructures (e.g. DARIAH, CLARIN, NFDI)
• Fluency in German (at least C1 level, in word and writing – required for an effective communication and for teaching in German) (nur bei Lehrverpflichtung)

Our offerings:

• Team-oriented cooperation in a committed, international and appreciative team
• Options for flexible working
• Support in balancing family and career/academia (including childcare arrangements, vacation offers, mobile nursery)
• Extensive training and further education opportunities
• other social benefits according to the TV-L

Additional information:

We are looking forward to receiving your application until September 21, 2024 with the specification ANR: 3684, sent electronically as a single pdf file to the following address: tim.karis@rub.de. Please provide the following: a short cover letter, curriculum vitae, copies of certificates, and a brief sketch (c. 1-2 pages) with a hypothetical work plan for 20 months.

Link to the job advertisement on the Ruhr-Universität Bochum job portal.

At the request of the applicant (m,f,x), the staff council may be involved in selection interviews. https://www.wpr.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/

If the position is funded by third-party funds the employee has no teaching obligation.

German language courses are offered by the University Language Center (ZfA) in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF).
https://www.daf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/sbgk/index.html.en

You can find information about TVL (wages) at: https://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of Germany’s leading research universities, addressing the whole range of academic disciplines. A highly dynamic setting enables researchers and students to work across the traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. To create knowledge networks within and beyond the university is RUB’s declared aim.

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum stands for diversity and equal opportunities. For this reason, we favour a working environment composed of heterogeneous teams, and seek to promote the careers of individuals who are underrepresented in our respective professional areas. The Ruhr-Universität Bochum expressly requests job applications from women. In areas in which they are underrepresented they will be given preference in the case of equivalent qualifications with male candidates. Applications from individuals with disabilities are most welcome.

Contact details for your application:

Herr Dr. Tim Karis, Phone: +49234 32 25492

Travel expenses for interviews cannot be refunded.

For information on the collection of personal data in the application process see: https://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/en/information-collection-personal-data-application-process.