Literature and expert mining position (m/f/d)

The climate needs bright minds. The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) addresses crucial scientific questions in the fields of global change, climate impacts and sustainable development. It is one of the world's leading research institutions in its field and offers natural and social scientists from around the world an inspiring environment for excellent interdisciplinary research.

In the Research Department Earth System Analysis, we are offering an exciting opportunity to be part of the new Planetary Boundary Science Initiative (PBScience). We are offering a

Literature and expert mining position (m/f/d)

(Position number: 31-2024 Literature Mining)

ideally starting on 01.10.2024 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position is initially funded until June 2027. Extensions are envisaged but depend on new external funding. Remuneration is in accordance with the German public tariff scheme (TV-L Brandenburg), salary group E 13. This is a full-time position with a working time of 40 hours per week. The position can be filled on a part-time basis.

Background:

PBScience will produce a frequent health check of planet Earth (Planetary Boundary Health Check, PBHC) which will advance the common PB framework and which is planned to become a dashboard style easy to access web application. Besides a strong collaboration with numerous renowned external partners PBScience will directly employ at least 18 scientists at PIK of which 8 will be situated in a newly established Planetary Boundary Science Lab. This lab will be responsible to conduct and advance PB assessments by integrating PBScience wide data as well as leveraging common and modern data analysis techniques.

The successful candidate will be part of this new lab and will play a crucial role for the development and implementation of a standardized and automated assessment of the PBs, a workflow we call the PB Analyzer. Within this workflow the candidate will be responsible for literature reviews and expert elicitations as a core part of PB assessments. Besides the standard approaches a main technical goal will be to leverage modern methods and applications such as large language models to automate information extraction from text and other sources in a robust and sensible way. On the forefront of scientific information synthesis, the work will enable advanced planetary boundary assessments and contribute to the overall success of the project.

Key responsibilities:

• Literature Review and Analysis: Conduct thorough literature reviews to gather and synthesize information relevant to planetary boundaries. Identify and extract key findings, trends, and insights from scientific publications and reports, to be considered.
• Expert Consultations: Develop and implement a structured approach to engage with domain experts, creating a comprehensive question catalogue. Conduct interviews and consultations with experts to gather in-depth knowledge and insights. Document answers and integrate expert knowledge into the PB Analyzer.
• Large Language Model Integration: Collaborate with the team to incorporate large language models and other AI/ML tools into the literature and expert mining process, assisting in the analysis and synthesis of vast amounts of textual data. Use large language models to support the generation of question catalogues, extraction of answers, and synthesis of expert knowledge.
• Knowledge Integration: Integrate findings from literature reviews and expert consultations into the PB Analyzer framework, ensuring they are accessible for further analysis.
• Collaborate with data scientists and engineers to ensure the extracted knowledge is effectively utilized in the PB Analyzer’s analytical processes, contributing to the overall knowledge on PBs generated by the PB Analyzer.
• Documentation and Reporting: Document all findings and processes, ensuring transparency and reproducibility of the literature & expert mining activities. Prepare detailed reports and summaries of the literature and expert knowledge, highlighting key insights and their implications for planetary boundary assessments, which will be used in the evaluation and uncertainty of PB assessments.
• Publication and Dissemination: Prepare high-quality research papers for peer-reviewed journals, present findings at international conferences, and contribute to public outreach and dissemination of research outcomes.
• Grant Writing and Funding: Assist in writing research proposals to secure funding for ongoing and future research projects.
• Mentoring and Training: Mentor graduate students and junior researchers in big data techniques, data management practices, and planetary boundary science, providing guidance and support for their research activities.

Requirements:

• Ph.D. in a relevant field (Environmental Science, Data Science, Computer Science, Geosciences, or a related field)
• Strong knowledge in applying modern tools for information extraction including PAI based usage of large language models and LLM based review tools.
• Proven experience in conducting comprehensive literature reviews and synthesizing information.
• Strong skills in engaging with PB domain experts and conducting structured interviews.
• Experience with large language models and their application in literature mining and knowledge extraction.
• Familiarity with data integration and knowledge management practices is a plus.
• Skills in data management, including data storage, retrieval, security, and archiving are preferable
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or MATLAB, and experience with big data tools and frameworks (e.g., Hadoop, Spark).
• Experience in developing and maintaining software tools for data analysis and management.
• A solid track record of conducting independent research, with publications in peer-reviewed journals.

We expect:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to document and report findings clearly and effectively.
• Ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team, collaborating with scientists, data analysts, and policymakers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex data and research findings clearly and effectively.
• Experience in writing research proposals and securing funding is desirable.
• Willingness to mentor graduate students and junior researchers, providing guidance in big data techniques and research methodologies.
• High level of proficiency in the English language
• Reliability, the ability to cope with the challenges of research environments, and a high level of motivation
• Willingness to travel for work (project meetings, workshops etc.) and take part in further training

We offer:

• the chance to be part of a creative, interdisciplinary and new team that produces regular updates on the planet’s health and aims at advancing the scientific landscape
• establish and learn from an international network of re-owned scientists, partners and players like Earth system modelling groups, remote sensing and tech companies, people of public significance, influential think tanks, NGOs, and much more
• to conduct ground-breaking research with state-of-the-art methods
• to convey the most important messages of this century to society in a strongly meaningful job
• a meaningful job with contribution to a project with real-world impact
• a stimulating working environment in an internationally recognised research institute on Potsdam's beautiful, historic Telegrafenberg campus, a short commuting distance from Berlin,
• flexi-time and mobile working (up to 50% of your hours),
• a collective pay scheme and associated benefits as well as a subsidized travel card or Deutschland-Ticket Job.

PIK values equality and diversity. We encourage applications without photo. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment regardless of ethnic and social origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, care responsibilities, or age. PIK seeks to increase the share of women in scientific positions and therefore explicitly encourages women to apply. In cases of equal qualification and within the given legal scope, women will be given preference. PIK also encourages applications by parents returning from parental leave.

Please apply by 26.08.2024directly via our application form. The application process remains open until the position is filled.

If you hold an international higher education qualification, please also submit the Statement of Comparability from the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) with your application. In the case that you do not yet have a ZAB Statement of Comparability for your qualification, please be aware that you may need to request this if your application is successful. You can find further information on this website: https://www.kmk.org/zab/central-office-for-foreign-education.html

For further information or to discuss the position please contact Dr.Levke Caesarand Dr.Boris Sakschewski.