Research Assistant (Natural language Processing for Accessible Science)

The University of Surrey is a global university with a world-class research profile and an enterprising and forward-thinking spirit, committed to research and innovation excellence and to benefitting the economy, society and the environment. Our researchers practise their excellence against the backdrop of our broad spectrum of technological, human, health and social sciences, and their uncommonly strong linkages forged in an integrated campus culture of cooperation.

The Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) is dedicated to cutting-edge research, scholarship and teaching in translation, and related modalities of intra-lingual, cross-lingual and cross-modal communication, including modalities aimed at enhancing accessible communication. Since our foundation in 1982, we have contributed to the theoretical advancement of translation and interpreting studies, whilst achieving real-world applicability by studying translation and interpreting as socio-technological practices, highlighting their economic and social value and their role as an enabling force for a globally connected world.

The role

The Centre for Translation Studies (CTS) at University of Surrey is seeking a Research assistant in natural language processing for accessible science to contribute to the Terminology-Aware Machine Translation for Accessible Science (TaMTAS) project. The project is funded by EPSRC under the CHIST-ERA Call 2025: Science in Your Own Language. Bridging Machine Translation, Natural Language Processing, and scientific expertise, this project addresses the urgent need for accurate and accessible scientific communication by enabling multilingual access to scientific knowledge. It challenges the dominance of English in scientific dissemination and aims to empower both researchers and the general public to engage with science in their native languages. The project brings together an outstanding international consortium, including collaborators from Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Dublin City University and the University of Tartu.

The appointed person will contribute mainly to WP4 (Terminology-aware Quality Estimation and Automatic Post-Editing (APE)) which will develop models capable of identifying and characterizing terminological errors, their span, and severity, focusing on critical domain errors. They will also contribute to WP5 (Text Augmentation) which will enhance scientific content for accessibility and educational reuse.

The project will require collaboration with the partners of the project, preparation and presentation of research results. For this reason, the appointed candidate is expected to have good communication skills.

About you

We are seeking a Graduate Researcher with background in natural language processing, computational linguistics or related discipline to join the multidisciplinary team working on the project. The successful candidate will have experience with machine translation, text accessibility and the use of large language models (LLMs) in evaluation, as well as good programming skills. Familiarity with the use of LLMs for quality estimation like the GEMBA prompt is desirable. Knowledge of any of the languages of the consortium in addition to English (Spanish, Catalan, Estonian or Irish) would be a bonus.

This is a part-time position available for 2 years with the possibility of extension till the end of the project (31/01/2029).

How to apply

To apply for this role, please upload a CV and submit a cover letter via the University website. In your cover letter, please make sure you explain why you are suitable for the job.

Informal questions can be sent to Prof Constantin Orasan (C.Orasan@surrey.ac.uk)

Further details

For more information and to apply online, please download the further details and click on the 'apply online' button above.

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