The appointee will support the README project in the development and testing of innovative algorithms and software, and ensure that the resulting implementations can be used within the project for research and demonstration purposes.

University Graduate
• Relevant academic degree
• Extensive experience in developing complex software systems using such languages as C, C++ or Java, and such scripting languages as Perl, Python or Ruby
• Knowledge of web servers and web technologies such as CGI, PHP and Java servlets
• Knowledge of search engines such as Lucene and relational database systems
• Familiarity with Linux and general Unix development and maintenance.

The Universiteit van Amsterdam

The Faculty of Humanities undertakes teaching and research with a strong international orientation in a large number of disciplines within the field of language and culture. The Faculty is situated in the centre of Amsterdam and maintains close contacts with many cultural institutions in the city. It employs almost a thousand staff members and has approximately 6,500 students.

Institute for Logic, Language and Computation

The Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) is a research institute of the University of Amsterdam, in which researchers from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Humanities collaborate. ILLC's core area of research includes the study of the fundamental principles of the encoding, transmission and comprehension of information. The main emphasis is on natural and formal languages, although other information carriers – such as images and music – are also studied. Research at ILLC is interdisciplinary, and aims to bring together insights from various disciplines that are concerned with information and information processing, such as logic, mathematics, computer science, linguistics, cognitive science, artificial intelligence and philosophy.

The ILLC seeks a research programmer to work on the focused retrieval of semi-structured data and to apply these in a vertical search engine for archival descriptions. This fully funded position is part of the README (Retrieving Encoded Archival Descriptions More Effectively) project, which is funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) through a VIDI grant in the Innovational Research Incentives Scheme.

The README project is investigating the contextual, focused retrieval of archival material in digital finding aids, from both a user-centred and a system-centred perspective. This will make dual contributions to both XML retrieval and to archival access. The user studies will provide insight into user information seeking behaviour in XML element retrieval, which is crucial for validating retrieval models and evaluation metrics. At the same time, these studies will provide crucial feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of digital finding aids for users who are in search of archival material. The developed retrieval techniques will significantly extend current XML retrieval models by building on the results of the user studies, and by taking into account the user's profile and context, and the textual context of the unit to return. At the same time, the resulting search engine will greatly enhance user access to archival material in digital finding aids.

Employment basis: Temporary for specified period
Duration of the contract: one year
Maximum hours per week: 16

Additional conditions of employment:
The appointment will be for a period of one year, with the possibility of extension to up to five years.

 
Or additional information can be obtained through one of the following links.

You can apply for this job before 16-12-2006 by sending your application to:

Applications should include a letter of motivation, a detailed curriculum vitae, a publication list and two letters of reference. They should be sent before 16 December 2006 to . Please quote the vacancy number.