Research Position (m/f/d) in the SFB TRR 318 in the field of Multimodal Phonetics

Research Position (m/f/d) in the SFB TRR 318 in the field of Multimodal Phonetics

The CITEC (Center for Cognitive Interaction Technology) has the following job opening in the SFB TRR 318 [subproject A02]:

ID: Wiss26134
starting: 01.11.2026
fulltime
salary according to Remuneration level 13 TV-L
fixed-term

The Transregional Collaborative Research Center (TRR 318) “Constructing Explainability,” which is jointly run by the Universities of Paderborn and Bielefeld, investigates how algorithmic transparency can be promoted, particularly in the context of black-box models as used in modern artificial intelligence systems. The central hypothesis of the research center is that explanations of algorithmic decisions are most effective when they are jointly (co-constructed) by the explainer and the explained. An interdisciplinary consortium will investigate the mechanisms of this co-construction in order to lay the foundations for confident and informed human decision-making in interaction with intelligent systems. In the first funding phase, the focus was on creating the theoretical, empirical, methodological, and computer-based foundations for the development of co-constructive XAI systems. The second funding phase focuses on the development of more flexible, personalized, and proactive explanation systems that take the situational context into account when adapting their explanatory behavior.

The A02 project aims to capture moments of (non-)understanding of a human interlocutor in their multimodal ensembles and to enable explanatory AI to draw conclusions and adapt its explanatory strategy. Corpus analyses enable the integration of rich, multimodal signals with different perspectives on the degree of understanding of the human interlocutor in different contexts. Beyond computational modelling of monitoring and adaptation in explanations, we evaluate their usefulness for a dynamically adapted social XAI.

Your Tasks

• research tasks (90 %):
  • computational modelling of multimodal ensemble signals of understanding and nonunderstanding in human-human and human-machine interactions
  • publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentation of research results in (inter)national conferences
• teaching equivalent to 1 LVS (5 %)
• administrative work (5 %)

Employment is conducive to scientific qualification and provides the opportunity for further academic development.

We offer

• salary according to Remuneration level 13 TV-L
• fixed-term (limited until 30.06.2029; end of project) (§ 2 (1) sentence 1 of the WissZeitVG; in accordance with the provisions of the WissZeitVG and the Agreement on Satisfactory Conditions of Employment, the length of contract may differ in individual cases)
• fulltime
• internal and external training opportunities
• variety of health, consulting and prevention services
• reconcilability of family and work
• constant place of work (Bielefeld) without travel activities
• flexible working hours
• good transport connection
• supplementary company pension
• collegial working environment
• open and pleasant working atmosphere
• exciting, varied tasks
• modern work environment with digital processes
• various offers (canteen, cafeteria, restaurants, Uni-Shop, ATM, etc.)

Your Profile

We expect

• completed scientific university degree in phonetics, computational linguistics, computer science, speech technology (or related fields) with a visible focus in speech research
• practical experience with multimodal speech signal processing and Machine Learning
• interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of phonetics, human-maschine interation, pragmatics and cognitive science
• very good knowledge of English and willingness to learn German, and working with German data
• independent, self-reliant, and committed approach to work
• strong organizational and coordination skills
• cooperative and team-oriented working style

Preferred experience and skills

• good working knowledge of statistics and relevant software
• experience with scientific publishing in peer-reviewed journals or international conferences

Application Procedure

We are looking forward to receiving your application. To apply, please preferably use our online form via the application button below.

application deadline: 29.10.2026

Contact

Prof. Dr. Petra Wagner
+49 521 106-3510
[email protected]

Postal Address

Universität Bielefeld
CITEC
Prof. Dr. Petra Wagner
Postfach 10 01 31
33501 Bielefeld

Bielefeld University has received a number of awards for its achievements as an equal-opportunity employer and has been recognized as a family-friendly university. The university welcomes applications from women. This is particularly true with regard both to academic and technical posts as well as positions in information technology as well as the skilled crafts and trades. Applications are handled according to the provisions of the state statutes on equal opportunity. Applications from suitably qualified handicapped and severely handicapped persons are explicitly encouraged.

At Bielefeld University on request positions can be carried out with reduced working hours as long as this does not conflict with official needs.