Research Associate in the field of Research Software Engineering (RSE)

Faculty of Arts and Humanities –Department of History

Research Associate (m/f/d) in the field of Research Software Engineering (RSE) with expected fulltime employment – E 13 TV-L HU (third-party funding limited until 29.02.2028)

NFDI 4Memory is one of several interdisciplinary consortia within Germany that will jointly manage the creation of a long-term research data infrastructure (Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur, or « NFDI « ) for the digital age with the goal of making research data systematically accessible, linked, interoperable, and, ultimately, (re-)usable in a sustainable and qualitative manner for scientific and scholarly communities in Germany and beyond. 4Memory brings together more than 80 partners from universities and research institutes, cultural heritage and memory institutions, and infrastructure facilities, united by a common set of interests, needs, and aims related to the distinct challenges faced by those disciplines that use historical methods or that rely on data requiring historical contextualization.

Within the framework of 4Memory, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Verband der Historiker und Historikerinnen Deutschlands (Association of Historians in Germany, VHD) jointly lead Task Area 5 « Data Culture. This Task Area aims at advancing the discourse on digital research data and computational methods in the field of history and, more broadly, the historically inclined humanities. We also explore the significance of datafication for our contemporary societies’ history-making, such as, for example, the current developments in the fields of machine learning and generative AI. Ultimately, we will contribute to the establishment of a strong data culture in our scholarly domain.

We are looking for someone to join our team at Task Area 5’s Methods Innovation Lab and Clio-online as a Research Software Engineer and we welcome applications from individuals who want to be actively and collaboratively involved in shaping the processes of datafication in the historical humanities at this exciting time.

job description:

• scientific services for research in the DFG-project „4Memory“ within the framework of the Nationale Forschungsdateninfrastruktur (NFDI)
• development of prototypical software solutions in the field of historical digital humanities in close collaboration with domain experts involved in the project
• participation in the publication of our results and methods for scholarly audiences with innovative formats, such as data stories or Jupyter notebooks
• participation in the further development of the publication platforms of Clio-online / H-Soz-Kult
• tasks for your own academic qualification

requirements:

• completed academic degree (master or similar), possibly doctorate, in computer science, history, computational linguistics or related subjects
• solid knowledge of current web technologies
• solid knowledge in Python
• willingness to engage in interdisciplinary exchange (e.g., between computer science and the humanities and social sciences)
• very good command of written and spoken German or English and basic knowledge of the other language (level B1) or willingness to acquire this knowledge within two years of taking up the position
• desired: knowledge of and experience in modern Research Software Engineering (RSE), including modularity, reproducibility and reusability
• desired: experience in the implementation of collaborative software development with external contractors
• desired: in-depth knowledge of current methods and technologies in at least one of the following areas: automatic text analysis/NLP, computer vision, machine learning
• desired: knowledge of other higher-level programming languages, such as Java

what we offer:

• innovative work with the opportunity to contribute and implement your own ideas
• friendly and open team with a modern work culture
• an excellent and internationally well-recognized university in the heart of Berlin as your employer
• very dynamic and innovative environment for the Digital Humanities
• possibility of mobile work (individual solutions are possible)
• advantages of working in the public sector, such as an attractive company pension scheme (VBL) and a subsidized Deutschlandticket (national public transport ticket)

Please send your application in German or in English (including cover letter, a complete curriculum vitae and copies of relevant certificates and documents) together with a short outline of relevant projects in the field of research software engineering that you may have already supervised or participated  in  (1-2 pages), quoting the reference number DR/087/23 to Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of History, Prof. Dr. Torsten Hiltmann, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin or in electronic form as a single PDF file to digitalhistory@hu-berlin.de.

The Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin is seeking to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching, and specifically encourages qualified female scholars to apply. Severely disabled applicants with equivalent qualifications will be given preferential consideration. People with an immigration background are specifically encouraged to apply. Since we will not return your documents, please submit copies in the application only.

Data protection information on the processing of your personal data within the

framework of the advertisement and selection procedure can be found on our Website: https://hu.berlln/DSGYO

Please visit our website www.hu-berlin.de/stellenangebote, which gives you access to the legally binding German version.