Research Assistant in Data Management and Engineering

30%-50%, Zurich, fixed-term

The Public Policy Group and the Immigration Policy Lab at the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zurich, is looking for a Research Assistant in Data Management and Engineering.

Project background

This position is part of a larger collaboration with the project “ Stop Hate Speech ” initiated by Alliance F and pursued jointly with colleagues of the Digital Democracy Lab at the University of Zurich. In this project, we leverage the automated detection of different kinds of speech—from hate to positive contributions—in online newspaper comments and social media to help design and test effective strategies to counter harmful content and to create more inclusive discussion forums.

Job description

In close collaboration with our team and the developer team of external partners, your core task will be to support the ongoing development of a comment database and workflow to enable the systematic analysis of comment quality in various online venues. Optionally, depending on your interests and/or skills, there is also the opportunity to get involved with the NLP component of the project by helping with the development and improvement of our custom-built classifiers.

In particular, you will:

• Create and maintain large databases of newspaper comments provided to us by our partners
• Design and establish a large-scale workflow for processing, integrating and quality-checking new data sources
• Work using best practices in storing and processing large data
• Optional: support ongoing development of our custom-built classifiers for harmful and positive online content

The position is secured for 6 months starting in July or at your earliest convenience, with a possibility of extension of up to two years depending on performance.

Your profile

At the time of appointment, you need to (1) be enrolled in a Master’s program at ETH Zurich or another Swiss university in Computer Science, Data Science, Applied Mathematics or Statistics or related field or (2) have completed a Master’s degree in one of these fields. Specific requirements are:

• Good working knowledge in Apache Airflow, Spark or a similar workflow management system of your choice to support the R-based analysis workflow
• Basic familiarity with R is an asset, since the current pipeline is in R
• Ability to work effectively as part of a large, diverse team
• Proficiency in English is a prerequisite; proficiency in German (and/or French) is an asset
• Optional: familiarity (or interest in acquiring familiarity) with deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch, language models such as BERT and prior experience in handling unstructured text to support the development of our classifiers.

We offer

ETH Zurich is a family-friendly employer with excellent working conditions. You can look forward to an exciting working environment, cultural diversity and attractive offers and benefits.

Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich

We value diversity

In line with our values, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our Equal Opportunities and Diversity website to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.

Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application, including a cover letter, CV, study transcripts and a maximum of 3 reference letters (academic or professional). Only applications submitted through our online application portal are accepted. Applications review will begin on June 15, 2022 and continue until the position is filled.

For further information about the position please contact the lab manager, Selina Kurer selina.kurergess.ethz.ch; Subject: "Data research assistant 2022" (no applications by e-mail). For more information on the Public Policy Group and the Immigration Policy Lab, please visit our websites at ?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpp.ethz.ch&module=jobs&id=56766" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpp.ethz.ch&module=jobs&id=56766" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://pp.ethz.ch and ?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimmigrationlab.org&module=jobs&id=56766" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimmigrationlab.org&module=jobs&id=56766" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://immigrationlab.org .

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About ETH Zürich

ETH Zurich is one of the world’s leading universities specialising in science and technology. We are renowned for our excellent education, cutting-edge fundamental research and direct transfer of new knowledge into society. Over 30,000 people from more than 120 countries find our university to be a place that promotes independent thinking and an environment that inspires excellence. Located in the heart of Europe, yet forging connections all over the world, we work together to develop solutions for the global challenges of today and tomorrow.