Research Fellow in Digital Humanities

The University of Tartu is the biggest and oldest centre of academic life in Estonia - we have over 4,500 employees and 15,000 students. The unique intellectual atmosphere and fine living and working environment that characterise Tartu have attracted prominent scientists and experts for almost 400 years. Join the university family!

Research and development (70% of time) 

• The Research Fellow in Digital Humanities will conduct research in the field of digital humanities, computational linguistics, computational literary studies, digital history, or related fields. The Research Fellow will primarily work within the project “The Center for Digital Text Scholarship” (DigiTS), funded by the European Union. 
• The Research Fellow will participate in research and development activities under the supervision of a professor or associate professor. Research and development activities make up at least 70% of the position. The Research Fellow will carry out international-level research in a volume equivalent to at least 1.5 doctoral theses over five years.
• The Research Fellow will also focus on their own professional development concerning research skills, including to benefit the research team. 

Teaching (20% of time) 

• The Research Fellow will be expected to teach using modern teaching methods and educational technology, supervise students at BA and MA levels, as well as co-supervise PhD students in a capacity up to 20% of the position.
• Courses taught will be related to digital humanities, computational linguistics, computational literary studies, digital history, or related fields. 
• The Research Fellow will also focus on their own professional development concerning teaching and supervising skills. 

Participation in governance and institutional development (10% of time)

• The Research Fellow will participate in the governance and institutional development of the university; including in the university’s decision-making bodies (recommended), as well as participating in social and public activities (up to 10% of the position). 
• The research fellow is expected to contribute to networking activities in collaborative development of LLMs. 
• Participation in the project’s dissemination and communication activities is also expected.

• Experience in participating in research and development activities in the field of digital humanities, computational linguistics, digital history, computational literary studies or related fields.  
• International-level research and publications in digital humanities or related fields.  
• Relevant technical skills with tools and methodologies used in Digital Humanities; these might include: programming (e.g., Python, R), quantitative methods, inferential statistics, digital tools and environments (e.g., SQL databases, Natural Language Processing tools, Linked Open Data solutions, visualization techniques) and so forth. 
• Experience in teaching and supervision of students is an advantage. 

1. A letter of application (addressed to the Rector).
2. Curriculum Vitae.
3. A list of research publications (if necessary, enclosing copies or offprints of more important publications).
4. A copy of a document (including its annexes) which shows the candidate holds the required qualification (with authorized translation into Estonian, English or Russian if the credential is not in Estonian, English, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, French, Italian, Ukrainian or Belarussian languages). A candidate can be required to submit the original or a certified copy of the document (including its annexes) showing the candidate to hold the required qualification. If the candidate has acquired the higher education in question abroad, he or she may be required to submit an assessment issued by the Academic Recognition Information Centre (the Estonian ENIC/NARIC) of his or her qualification in respect of the qualification requirements for the position.
5. Other materials considered relevant by the candidate (a list of such materials must be included in the application or annexed to it).
6. Motivation letter.
7. Recommendation letter from the applicant’s PhD supervisor or other senior researcher familiar with the applicant’s academic work.

The Research Fellow will primarily work within the project “The Center for Digital Text Scholarship” (DigiTS), funded by the European Union.

Description of the project: The Center for Digital Text Scholarship

The Center for Digital Text Scholarship (DigiTS) will carry out cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research using modern digital methods applied to textual data in Humanities and Social Sciences. To this end, an international and interdisciplinary team will be formed at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Tartu (UT) under the leadership of Prof. Maciej Eder. This new dedicated team of experts will enable key actions aimed at establishing UT as a center for research and education in Digital Humanities; these actions include the promotion and development of LLMs for Estonian and other smaller languages, the expansion of studies in Digital Humanities at all levels of higher education, and the creation of a stronger basis for collaboration with other institutes at UT, GLAM institutions and start-ups in the industry. DigiTS is funded by the European Union (Horizon Europe grant 101186601). 

Job description, incl. requirements for academic staff.

Salary Rules.

More information about application documents.

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