Post of Project Assistant cum Research Assistant – RIC – Faculty of Engineering

UNIVERSITY OF JAFFNA, SRI LANKA
OPERATIONAL TECHNICAL SECRETARIAT (OTS)
WORLD BANK FUNDED ACCELERATING HIGHER EDUCATION EXPANSION AND DEVELOPMENT (AHEAD) OPERATION

 

Post of Project Assistant cum Research Assistant – RIC – Faculty of Engineering

The University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka will entertain applications for the above mentioned post under OTS – AHEAD Operation from suitably qualified persons up to 21.01.2021.

BACKGROUND

The Development of the higher education sector is of central importance to enable Sri Lanka to make the transaction from a Lower – Middle Income Country (LMIC) to an Upper Middle – Income Country (UMIC). Recognizing this, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the World Bank have agreed to support the higher education sector through a Bank Funded Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) Operation.

TITLE & THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RIC PROJECT:Developing speaker diarization technology for real word applications

Speaker diarization is task of identifying who spoke and when spoke in a multi-talker speech recording which is receiving increased attention in the recent years. The task of speaker diarization is challenging in noisy and channel degraded environments where speech is corrupted by background noise. The aim of this project is to develop deep learning based state-of-the-art speaker diarization technology for practical applications.

KEY TASKS

Subject to any specific directives given by the Director/OTS and Project Coordinator, the main duties responsibilities of the candidate as a Project Assistant will be to:

  • Facilitate the work of the Research and Innovation Commercialization (RIC) program by assisting to the OTS, Project Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator of the RIC.
  • Assist the OTS, Project Coordinator in the Procurement activities of the RIC Project in the following areas.
    • Maintaining good rapport with Project Coordinator, Deputy Coordinator, Research Assistants of the RIC and OTS.
    • Maintaining an efficient filing system & records.
    • Maintaining and updating administrative files with necessary confidentiality where required.
    • Any other relevant duties as assign by the Director / OTS, Project Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator.
  • Assist in intellectual property protection and commercialization
    • Assist the project coordinator and the research team securing intellectual property rights and commercialization of it.
    • Conduct extensive patent search via available databases
    • Prepare disclosure and filing documents for patents and other intellectual properties as per the instruction of project coordinator
    • Assist the project coordinator in filing documents with National Intellectual Property Office(NIPO)/World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) or any other appropriate entity
    • Work closely with UBL-Jaffna and the commercial partner on intellectual property (IP) licensing and drafting licensing agreements based on the IP policy of University of Jaffna.

Subject to the specific instructions from the project coordinator, roles of a candidate as a Research Assistant shall be, but not limited to the following:

  • Assists the Project Coordinator and the research team to achieve the assigned KPIs (key performance indicator) within the timeline
  • Implementation of deep learning based x-vector speaker diarization and testing with NIST and DIHARD dataset
  • Proposing noise compensation and domain compensation approaches to improve the speaker diarization performance in noisy conditions and different recording conditions
  • Investigating deep learning approaches to detect the overlap and improve the performance
  • Multi speaker dataset collection and testing
  • Investigating how to optimize the computationally intensive steps
  • Develop the complete system (prototype) for real world scenario from research outcomes
  • Assists with preparation of manuscripts and conducting seminars for dissemination of research findings
  • Able to work at University of Jaffna main campus as well as Kilinochchi premises as per the instructions given by the project coordinator
  • Maintain a research log book to update the daily research progress
  • Submit weekly/monthly research progress reports to project coordinator/deputy coordinator
  • Work closely with the industry partner on developing product for commercial deployment and testing as per instruction given project coordinator.

METHOD OF RECRUITMENT

By open advertisement in the newspaper and in the University website. Selection by interview among the shortlisted candidates. Successful candidate should be able to start the work immediately. This is a full-time position. Initially the contract appointment shall be for a period of 12 months.  The position may be renewed based on performance and need during the period of the operation.

REMUNERATION

A monthly payment of LKR 70,000/= in addition  applicable EPF & ETF will be paid. Payments will be made on the approval by the OTS/Director on the recommendation of the Project Coordinator.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCES

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, IT OR related fields which is recognized by the UGC. Priority will be given Engineering
  • A track record of research as evidenced by publications/ presentations as an undergraduate or post graduate would be an added advantage
  • Prior experience in machine learning and programming (python)
  • Awareness on intellectual property and commercialization will be an added advantage

AGE LIMIT

  • 35 Years at the date of closing of applications

PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

  • Knowledge in machine learning and deep learning
  • Knowledge in python, bash scripting and parallel processing
  • High level of proficiency in written and spoken English.
  • Proven ability to handle operation activities related to finance and procurement activities in the University in accordance with the World Bank Guidelines.
  • Ability to function effectively in a team environment inspiring trust and cooperation of other team members.
  • Ability to communicate effectively orally in Sinhala or Tamil.
  • Ability to communicate in English with the World Bank, Ministry of City planning, Water Supply and Higher Education, UGC, OMST and others.
  • Proven analytical skills
  • Ability to work independently in a research team
  • Awareness in intellectual property protection and commercialization

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HOW TO APPLY:

Candidates who are interested in the above post should submit their application in the prescribed format available here by email to otsjobs@univ.jfn.ac.lk on or before 21.01.2021. When you present for the interview please bring original certificates, educational qualification certificates, Birth certificate, experience certificates and National Identity Card with the signed application form.

INTERVIEW:

  • Date and Time for the interview will be notified to the eligible candidates.

Registrar
University of JAffna