Researcher – African Wordnet Project (Fixed‑term)

About the role

The African Wordnet Project, part of the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), seeks a dedicated researcher to lead academic planning, research collaboration with the UNISA node, and day‑to‑day project management. This three‑year fixed‑term position combines traditional academic duties with the coordination of training programmes and community‑engagement activities.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and oversee new training events, short courses and bespoke workshops within the ESCALATOR flagship programme.
• Design, adapt and document training materials for diverse audiences.
• Coordinate the ICAS approval process for short courses and learning programmes at NWU.
• Plan and manage ESCALATOR and African Wordnet Project events, ensuring alignment with available staff and partner capacities.
• Maintain and update databases/CRMs of trainers, ESCALATOR courses and training resources.
• Represent SADiLaR and the ESCALATOR programme at national forums and stakeholder meetings.
• Fulfil normal academic responsibilities such as publishing research, presenting at conferences and supervising teaching and learning activities.

Required profile

• Academic qualification appropriate for a research position (e.g., PhD or Master’s degree) in linguistics, computational linguistics or a related field.
• Proven experience in research project management and collaborative academic work.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver training programmes and workshops.
• Strong record of scholarly publications and conference participation.
• Excellent organisational skills and capacity to coordinate multi‑institutional activities.

Required skills