Discovering semantic relationships in large textual collections with applications to recommender systems for research

This topic will look into personalised and non-personalised approaches to the discovery of related research papers, topics, people, facts, etc. It is expected the new methods will benefit from various forms of content relationship analysis, such as finding similar and/or contradictory content, discovering evidence, etc. The methods may also be combined with new user-based approaches, such as those similar to collaborative filtering.

The Open University’s Knowledge Media Institute (KMi - http://kmi.open.ac.uk/) is a distinct research unit within the Faculty of STEM, and is home to internationally recognized researchers in semantic technologies, data science, educational multimedia, collaboration technologies, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and human-computer interaction. KMi offers students an intellectually challenging environment with exceptional research and computer facilities, located at the OU headquarters in Milton Keynes, which is 45 minutes by train from central London. Past KMi PhD students pursue successful careers in academia and industry, and have won a number of distinguished awards, including the 2016 and 2017 SWSA Distinguished Dissertation Awards.

We are currently offering a fully-funded studentship commencing February 2019. Applications are invited from UK, EU and ROW for a full time, 3-year study on the following PhD topic. We strongly recommend that you contact Dr Petr Knoth ([Email Address Removed]) to discuss your interest prior to writing your proposal.

You will have a first or upper second class degree from a UK university or the overseas’ equivalent and ideally a relevant Master’s degree. Unless from a majority English-speaking country, non-EEA applicants will require an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6 in each element of Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. IELTS Certificates are valid for a period of 2-years. All applications are assessed as to their quality, the fit with The Open University research priorities.

Closing date: Candidates will be interviewed on a first come first served basis, until a successful candidate is found.

Interviews: to be advised

For detailed information and how to apply go to http://www.open.ac.uk/about/employment/vacancies/full-time-phd-studentships-11660, call the Recruitment Co-ordinator on +44 (0)1908 654774 or email [Email Address Removed] quoting the reference number.