HomePostdoctoral Research Associate position for tranScriptorium Project

Postdoctoral Research Associate position for tranScriptorium Project

Bentham Project – Centre for Digital Humanities, University College London

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Published on Friday, December 21, 2012

Abstract

The Bentham Project, in association with UCL's Centre for Digital Humanities, is advertising for a postdoctoral Research Associate position, starting 1 February 2013. This post is to work on an exciting European Commission-funded project, led by the University of Valencia, entitled tranScriptorium. The project intends to develop innovative, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for the indexing, search and full transcription of digital images of manuscripts, using modern, holistic Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) software.

Announcement

The Bentham Project (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/) is an academic unit within UCL’s Faculty of Laws. The Bentham Project is a vibrant research centre, whose purpose is to produce the new authoritative edition of The Collected Works of Jeremy Bentham.

Duties and responsabilities

A major part of the new edition consists in the publication of works based on original manuscripts located in UCL Library’s collection of Bentham Papers.The Bentham Project, in collaboration with partners from across Europe, has recently received a grant for a project entitled tranScriptorium, which aims to develop innovative, efficient, and cost-effective solutions for the indexing, search and full transcription of digital images of manuscripts, using modern, holistic Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) technology.

The role holder will work with tranScriptorium partners (especially the University of London Computer Centre), to design and develop an HTR crowdsourcing platform, analyse the user needs and requirements of transcript correctors and visitors, carry out beta testing of the platform to ensure full functionality, and be responsible for the running of the crowdsourcing platform on a day-to-day basis.The post is funded for 21 months in the first instance.

Complementing the ongoing success of the double-award winning crowdsourced transcription initiative, Transcribe Bentham, the postholder will work with tranScriptorium partners (especially colleagues at the University of London Computer Centre) to design and develop an HTR crowdsourcing platform.

The postholder will co-ordinate beta testing of the platform to ensure full functionality, recruit volunteers to correct HTR transcripts of manuscript material, analyse the needs of participants and site visitors, and be responsible for the running of the crowdsourcing platform on a day-to-day basis.

Conditions of employement

The position is on a 0.6FTE basis, and is available for 21 months in the first instance, starting 1st February 2013.

  • Place : UCL Department / DivisionFaculty of Laws
  • Specific unit / Sub : department Bentham Project
  • Grade 7
  • Hours : Part Time
  • Hours per week : (%FTE) 21.9 hours per week (60% FTE)

  • Salary : (inclusive of London allowance) £32,375 - £39,132 per annum

Key requirements

The successful applicant will have a doctorate, either in IT with experience of working in the Humanities, or in the Humanities with experience in Digital Humanities, particularly of textual encoding, online tools development, and user studies of human-computer interaction.

They will have a strong grasp of developments of tools used in Digital Humanities projects and experience of working with and/or transcribing mediaeval, early-modern and/or modern historical manuscripts.

Knowledge of user design considerations for the provision of online Digital Resources is desirable.

Application guidelines

The closing date for applications is Friday 4 January 2013,

with interviews taking place on Friday 25 January.

For further details on the award-winning crowdsourced manuscript transcription project: Transcribe Bentham, please refer to www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/transcribe_bentham

Places

  • University College London - Gower Street
    London, Britain (WC1E 6BT)

Date(s)

  • Friday, January 04, 2013

Keywords

  • indexing, Handwritten Text Recognition technology, crowdsourcing, Jeremy Bentham

Contact(s)

  • Laura Allum
    courriel : l [dot] allum [at] ucl [dot] ac [dot] uk

Information source

  • Ele Kraft DARIAH-EU
    courriel : dariah-info [at] dariah [dot] eu

License

CC0-1.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

To cite this announcement

« Postdoctoral Research Associate position for tranScriptorium Project », Scholarship, prize and job offer, Calenda, Published on Friday, December 21, 2012, https://doi.org/10.58079/mi5

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