The Implementing New Knowledge Environments (INKE) project, funded by a Major Collaborative Research Initiative grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), seeks a postdoctoral fellow in Modelling and Prototyping, with expertise in Data Modelling and Digital Humanities.
This position is based in the Department of English at the University of Victoria, in partnership with the Electronic Textual Cultures Lab. The successful candidate is anticipated to work closely with team members at U Victoria, U Toronto, Acadia U, U Saskatchewan, U Western Ontario, U Guelph, U Alberta, and beyond.
The postdoctoral fellow will work with conceptual data models and new forms of knowledge expression currently under development by INKE, collaborating with INKE’s Modelling and Prototyping team and others, consulting with project stakeholders and potential stakeholders, and liaising with other INKE researchers located in North America and the UK. If interested, then the fellow may also teach a light course load in the Faculty of Humanities and/or Department of English at the University of Victoria, to be remunerated in addition to the fellowship’s salary.
The successful candidate will have skills and aptitudes in humanities-oriented research and data modelling, including training or demonstrated experience working with the Resource Description Framework and/or other conceptual modelling approaches. Organizational skills are essential. Interest and aptitude in research planning and management would be an asset, as would knowledge of TEI P5 and data visualization (e.g., D3 or Gephi). The ability to work in concert with our existing team is a critical requirement.
Examples of technologies employed in INKE projects are as follows: TEI P5; XML, XSLT, XSL and XHTML encoding; XQuery; eXist XML databases; JavaScript; and Ruby on Rails. Experience in some or all technologies in use in INKE-related projects and similar areas would be an asset, but is not a requirement, though hands-on aptitude with—as distinct from merely interest in—digital tools is required.
Our current team members pride themselves on a passionate interest in both the humanities and their computational engagement. Our ideal candidate is someone with similar passions who can introduce the team to new ideas and provide new perspectives on existing digital humanities issues. The salary for this position is competitive in the Canadian context, and is governed in part by SSHRC practices.
Applications comprising a brief cover letter, CV, and the names and contact information for three referees may be sent electronically to jentery@uvic.ca. The contract can begin as early as 1 July 2012; it is for a one-year term, with the possibility of renewal. The position is subject to funding and budgetary approval.
Interviews may be conducted via Skype, or in person at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences (Waterloo), the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (Victoria), and other venues at which INKE team members are present. Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.