Assistant Professor in Computational Creativity

 You will provide education in a dynamic context with ample opportunities for the development of innovative teaching methods. Your research will be part of the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, one of the six research schools of the Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research.

 

The Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) is the leading research institute in the interdisciplinary area dealing with the investigation of information, information exchange, and cognition with formal and mathematical methods. It is deeply rooted in the Amsterdam logic research tradition dating back to the early twentieth century and covers the disciplines of mathematics, music, linguistics, computer science, philosophy and artificial intelligence with staff members from the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam.

 

The ILLC is the home of the Music Cognition Group, which applies interdisciplinary perspectives on the capacity to perceive, make, and appreciate music and asks what music is for and why every human culture has it, whether musicality is a uniquely human capacity, and what biological and cognitive mechanisms underlie it.

 

You will teach in the Department of Arts and Culture, a multi-faceted unit that includes bachelor’s and master’s programmes in art history, theatre, cultural analysis, music studies, and performance research. Your base within the department will be the Musicology group, teaching in their BA and MA programmes, but you will also be involved in the department-wide MA programme in Art and Performance Research, an innovative two-year programme for students interested in historical, theoretical and practice-based research in the visual and performing arts.

 

With this position, we are seeking to broaden our profile with respect to AI-assisted music generation and computational creativity more generally. You will work with bachelor’s students, master’s students, and researchers from music, theatre, artistic research, performance studies, and the digital humanities. We are open to scholars both from humanistic and from computational backgrounds, and through the ILLC, we also offer the possibility to work with leading AI and machine learning researchers at the University of Amsterdam.

 

Tasks and responsibilities:

• designing and conducting independent research on computational creativity in music and the performing arts, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals and/or books;
• actively pursuing external funding for research, notably funding from research councils, national as well as European;
• actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation;
• actively contributing to the research activities of the ILLC;
• developing, coordinating and teaching courses in both Dutch and English, in the Bachelor and Master programmes;
• supervising Bachelor and Master theses and tutoring students; co-supervising PhD theses;
• actively contributing to the development and improvement of the broader teaching programmes in the department;
• and taking part in committees and working groups, and carrying out departmental administrative tasks as directed.

 

What do we require

 

You are a dynamic and ambitious scholar with a strong profile, international publications, and an international academic and artistic network. Your publications and compositions/performances show expertise and a broad knowledge in and of computational creativity in music and the performing arts, familiarity with music information retrieval and other applications of digital audio processing for music, and a strong affinity with music generation and AI-assisted composition. Your research matches the profile of the ILLC and will complement the MCG.

 

You are able to develop and provide modules on automatic music generation, computation in artistic practice, and the digital humanities that are accessible to students of differing technical proficiency. You have flexibility in teaching on topics beyond your own research focus (including students involved primarily in artistic research), a willingness to work in interdisciplinary teams of teachers and the ability to offer inspiring lectures and tutorials in the BA, MA and minor programmes that aspire to a wide range of students.

 

Your experience and profile:

• holds a PhD in music, the performing arts, artificial intelligence, or a related field, with a research focus on music generation or sound synthesis for musical applications;
• holds an international academic network in the research area concerned;
• provides research output commensurate with the level of the position;
• is an active and ambitious researcher with a strong publication record;
• demonstrates ability and ambition to obtain external research grants;
• has broad and relevant teaching experience at BA and MA level;
• excellent command of English. If Dutch is not the mother tongue, an active and passive command must be acquired within two years of the employment contract and the state examination for Dutch as a Second Language programme II must be passed;
• has experience with digital and audiovisual teaching facilities and affinity with IT in university teaching;
• is experienced in outreach and practice-based education and/or artistic research;
• is a good team player and versatile at all levels, capable of multidisciplinary co-operation;
• has excellent organisational experience and skills;
• and has acquired the Dutch Basic Teaching Qualification, or is willing to acquire this within the first two years.

 

Our offer

 

We offer permanent employment upon a satisfactory evaluation following a temporary employment contract of a maximum of 18 months with a probationary period of two months. If you already have an employment contract with the UvA, we offer permanent employment upon a satisfactory evaluation following a temporary employment contract of a maximum of 12 months. The employment is for 38 hours per week. Preferred starting date is 1 September 2022.

 

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week, ranges between € 3,821 (scale 11) to € 5,943 (scale 12) dependent on relevant experience. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

 

We additionally offer:

• the opportunity to collaborate in interdisciplinary teams;
• excellent opportunities for study and personal development;
• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

 

About us

 

The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

 

The Faculty of Humanities provides education and conducts research with a strong international profile in a large number of disciplines in de field of language and culture. Located in the heart of Amsterdam, the faculty maintains close ties with many cultural institutes in the capital city. Research and teaching staff focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and are active in several teaching programmes.

 

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

 

Questions

 

Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact (during office hours):

• dr. John Ashley Burgoyne
• T: +31 20 525 70 34

 

Job Application

 

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the link below. The deadline for applying for this vacancy is 21 March 2022. 

 

Applications should include the following information (submitted in one .pdf):

• a letter of motivation;
• a detailed CV;
• a list of publications;
• the names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation.

 

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered.

 

The interviews will be held in the course of Spring 2022. A trial lecture may be part of the application procedure.

 

 

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

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