ART Linguistics
Competition No. : S100152613
Posting Date: Feb 15, 2024
Closing Date (extended): Mar 17, 2024
Position Type: Full Time – Grant Funded
Salary Range: $60,299 to $83,456 per year
Grade: 10
Hours: 35
This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).
This position has a term length of 2 years with the possibility of an extension and offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed on our Benefits Overview page.
Location
This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus Edmonton.
Working for the University of Alberta
The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.
The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.
Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross-section of people—from our students and stakeholders to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.
Working for the Linguistics Department, Faculty of Arts
The Alberta Language Technology Laboratory (ALTLab) is a research lab founded by Dr. Antti Arppe and based in the University of Alberta Linguistics department. Our lab focuses on research and development of language technology, with a particular focus on Indigenous languages, to support language learning, literacy, and language sustainability.
Position Summary
The university-community Partnership “21st Century Tools for Indigenous Languages”, a project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada, is seeking a dynamic individual as a full-time Software Developer to add to its team in the Alberta Language Technology Lab (ALTLab) at the University of Alberta.
This Partnership aims to develop computational models of the sound, word, and sentence structure (phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexis) of Indigenous languages in Canada and North America to create software applications that support their continued use in daily life by both speakers and learners. These include intelligent electronic dictionaries, keyboards, spell-checkers, linguistically analyzed collections of written or spoken texts, computer-aided language learning tools, as well as basic speech technology and optical character recognition, among others. Current versions of some of these tools can be found here: https://21c.tools/resources/ – our flagship application is itwêwina: https://itwewina.altlab.app/
Duties
- Software development of language technological applications, tools, and resources (see above) for both web and mobile platforms (80%), with the support of the lab’s interns and students
- Engaging with our national and international Partners and Indigenous end-user communities (15%)
- Participating in the dissemination of the results of our work (5%)
Minimum Qualifications
- A Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering
- Knowledge of the grammar of a language other than English
- Significant (2+ years) experience in software development in Python using modern tooling, techniques, and methodologies
- Significant (2+ years) experience in software development in JavaScript and/or TypeScript using modern tools, techniques, and methodologies
- Experience managing Linux/UNIX servers, including experience in UNIX command line tools
- Significant (2+ years) experience using the git version control system with GitHub and/or other online repository hosting platforms
- Demonstrable understanding of test-driven development, unit testing, and integration testing in Python and front-end JavaScript
- Experience performing code reviews
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience working with production-level Django and/or Django REST
- Experience working with containerized services, such as Docker
- Experience working with mobile development software, Android and/or iOS; knowledge of Kivy and/or buildozer is an asset
- Experience working with audio processing and/or speech technologies (automated transcription or synthesis) is an asset
At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.
How to Apply
Please apply via the University of Alberta Job Posting
https://https://www.careers.ualberta.ca/Competition/S100152613/
by submitting:
- A curriculum vitae or résumé including examples of previous work, such as a link to your public GitHub, and/or a link to websites in production that you have contributed to significantly
- A cover letter outlining your competences with respect to the requirements and tasks noted above
- The names and contact details of at least two referees knowledgeable in your skills and background whom we may get in touch with for more information.
Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.
The University of Alberta is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We encourage women; First Nations, Métis and Inuit persons; members of visible minority groups; persons with disabilities; persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity and expression; and all those who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas and the University to apply.