Stellenangebot: PhD Candidate (65%, m/f/x) in Digital Forensic Linguistics bei Ruhr-Universität Bochum

In order to fill a fixed-term position in part-time (25.8895 hours/week = 65%) by December 01, 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter, we are looking for a

PhD Candidate (65%, m/f/x) in Digital Forensic Linguistics

The position is located in the group headed by Prof. Dr. Tatjana Scheffler (Digital Forensic Linguistics) in the Institute for German Studies. The research focus of the group is the theoretical and computational analysis of human language in digital media, in particular computational approaches to forensic linguistics. Research topics of the group include disinformation, hate speech, and automatic approaches to digital authorship, among others. The position includes a small teaching requirement (approximately 1 class per semester), which will be carried out in the undergraduate and graduate programs in German linguistics.

This position is meant to lead to further qualification of the holder in the form of a Ph.D. degree. Work on the Ph.D. thesis is considered part of the tasks in this position and should center around a project in the newly established field of digital forensic linguistics.

Scope: part-time
Duration: fixed-term, 36 months
Start: by December 01, 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter
Apply by: 2026-08-24

Your tasks:

• Investigating new computational linguistic methods of analyzing, detecting and combating harmful online language (disinformation, hate speech, or other digital forensic applications)
• Contributing to the development of the emerging research field Digital Forensic Linguistics
• Creation of annotated corpora and datasets
• Collaboration in an interdisciplinary team
• Preparing research results for publication in leading venues (conferences and journals)
• Teaching (1 class per semester) in the field of German linguistics (preferably in German)
• Supervising student research assistants (m/f/x)

Your profile:

• Very good Master's degree in computational linguistics or a related subject
• Knowledge of and ideally practical experience with natural language processing (NLP), including machine learning methods (statistical methods, deep learning, LLMs)
• Solid programming skills (e.g., Python)
• Excellent language skills (reading and writing) in English; German skills preferred
• Knowledge and experience in one or more of the following fields would be beneficial: forensic linguistics, corpus linguistics, analysis of social media data, psycholinguistic experiments, visual communication
• Willingness to participate in interdisciplinary research

https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/870a96abc9c1d265d30d96c359a15f0d1c02b97c0?ref=AfA