Applications are invited for a PhD studentship in argumentation for dispute mediation, funded by the Leverhulme Trust.

The studentship forms part of a project which aims to develop a theoretical foundation to underpin practical tools for argument-supported dispute mediation. The successful applicant will have the freedom to explore an area that is relevant to both the project and their own research interests including, but not limited to: philosophical and/or computational models of dialogue and argument; mediation theory and practice; computational linguistics. The studentship will be held in the Argumentation Research Group in the School of Computing at the University of Dundee.

At the most recent RAE, the School’s research was rated fourth in Scotland, with two thirds of its research rated world leading or internationally excellent (4* or 3*). Dundee has been ranked amongst the top places for scientists to work in the world (The Scientist), and has one of the lowest costs of living in the UK.

Stipendiary payments are at UK research council levels (£13,590 tax-free for academic year 2012/13). Applicants should typically have, or be expecting, a first or upper second class degree in an appropriate subject. Interest in, or exposure to, dispute mediation or philosophical or computational argumentation would be a distinct advantage.

Further details are available from the DrEAMS project page. Applicants should send a CV with a covering letter to Professor Chris Reed, School of Computing, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, or by email to c.a.reedATdundee.ac.uk, by the closing date, 30 June 2013.

We are delighted to today welcome Rolando Medellin as a new member of the ARG:dundee group. He joins us from the University of Liverpool and is going to be leading work on the EPSRC-funded project, Grumpy Old Debate, which is a new collaboration with the SiDE hub and the BBC.

Many congratulations to Mark Snaith who this morning successfully defended his PhD thesis. He was examined by Prof. Guillermo Simari (Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina) and Dr. Keith Edwards (Dundee). Mark is staying on in the group as a postdoctoral research assistant.

Argumentation Technology has been marked as one of the ten priority areas for the University’s new Dundee Fellows scheme, which offers a number of permanent (i.e. tenured) lectureships with low teaching loads, to support the career development of strong new academic appointments. Excellent research potential with evidence of existing top quality publications is the key criterion.

A Dundee Fellow Research Lectureship in the Argumentation Research Group is an additional post to the recently advertised Lectureship in the group, and represents a significant investment and expression of confidence by the University in this area of research. Applications from candidates with experience in all areas with relevance to argument and debate are invited, but we are particularly keen to see applications from those with a demonstrated track record in artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, discourse processing, formal models of the law, or mathematical logic.

Further information about the Argumentation Research Group ARG:dundee can be found at www.arg.dundee.ac.uk, and about the Dundee Fellows scheme at www.dundee.ac.uk/dundeefellows

Deadline for applications is 23 January 2013. For further information, please contact Prof. Chris Reed by email c.a.reedATdundee.ac.uk or by telephone (+44 1382 388083). You can apply online.

Applications are invited for a new lectureship in the Argumentation Research Group within the School of Computing at the University of Dundee.

The group’s expansion is associated with the development of new postgraduate level teaching in which the new lecturer will be expected to play a leading role. This teaching responsibility will involve development of module specifications, student recruitment, and preparation and delivery of materials in areas related to argumentation and negotiation.

The post will be held in the Argumentation Research Group in the School of Computing at the University of Dundee. The group’s research is funded by EPSRC, RCUK, JISC, the Leverhulme Trust and others, and is published in top journals such as Artificial Intelligence. We expect the new appointment to make a significant contribution to this performance, in both securing RCUK, EU and other funds, and also in publication of the highest quality research results. We expect, in particular, that applicants should have a CV which includes papers that demonstrate the very highest levels of significance, originality and rigour in REF terms.

The group is looking to complement its existing research strengths with expertise which can link argumentation with computational linguistics, rhetoric, economics or the law. Some experience with argumentation in one of these contexts is essential, as is a strong background in computer science and artificial intelligence.

At the most recent RAE, the School’s research was rated fourth in Scotland, with two thirds of its research rated world leading or internationally excellent (4* or 3*). The School also has the third highest research income per capita of any Computer Science Department in the UK. Dundee has been ranked amongst the top places in the world for scientists to work (The Scientist), and has one of the lowest costs of living in the UK.

The post will commence from 01 March 2013 (or other date by negotiation), and is permanent, subject to probation.  More information is available from the research group website at www.arg.dundee.ac.uk.

Remuneration will be at Grade 8, depending on qualifications and
experience (£37,012 - £44,166). Further details and an application pack are
available from our website: www.jobs.dundee.ac.uk  Alternatively, contact
Personnel Services, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, tel: (01382) 384817 (answering machine).

The closing date for applications is 14 January 2013.
Please quote Reference number ASE/0175

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research assistant position to work on a new RCUK funded project in the Argumentation Research Group within the School of Computing at the University of Dundee.

The University of Dundee has partnered with the University of Newcastle in an RCUK Digital Economy Hub focusing on Social Inclusion in the Digital Economy (see www.side.ac.uk). As a part of this major initiative, a new collaboration has formed between the Argumentation Research Group at Dundee and the BBC. The focus of this collaboration is upon how older people in particular might engage with online resources associated with broadcast programmes. Specifically, we are interested in exploring how existing tools for online argument and debate developed using analysis of the BBC Radio 4 programme, ‘The Moral Maze’ might be extended to support and encourage engagement from older listeners.

The post will require experience with both argumentation and human centered computing, ideally with a focus on usability for excluded or disadvantaged users. Good design skills and software engineering experience will be important, as we will be deploying software with users.

The job will also involve engaging with programme makers and producers at the BBC, so a high level of professionalism and reliability is essential.

At the most recent RAE, the School’s research was rated fourth in Scotland, with two thirds of its research rated world leading or internationally excellent (4* or 3*). The School also has the third highest research income per capita of any Computer Science Department in the UK. Dundee has been ranked amongst the top places in the world for scientists to work (The Scientist), and has one of the lowest costs of living in the UK.

The post will be held in the Argumentation Research Group in the School of Computing at the University of Dundee. The post will commence from 01 February 2013 (or other date by negotiation), and is fixed term until 30 September 2014.  More information is available from the research group website at www.arg.dundee.ac.uk.

Remuneration will be at Grade 7, at a spinal point dependent on qualifications and experience (£29,249 - £35,938). Further details and an application pack are available from our website: www.jobs.dundee.ac.uk  Alternatively, contact Personnel Services, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, tel: (01382) 384817 (answering machine).

The closing date for applications is 7 January 2013.
Please quote Reference number ASE/0176

We are delighted to welcome Marcelo Acuña to the group for the next few months. Marcelo is a student at Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile, where he works with the Centre for Studies of Argumentation and Reasoning, CEAR, and where he has built up experience of using the Argunaut argument analysis tool.

Marcelo will be working with us to build bridges between ARG:dundee and CEAR and to explore cognitive aspects of argumentation in an Argument Web setting.

Many congratulations to Joseph Devereux who, subject to minor corrections, today successfully defended his thesis entitled, Strategies for Persuasion in Inter-Agent Dialogue. He was examined by Francesca Toni (Imperial) and Ekaterina Komendantskaya (Dundee).

Floris today successfully defended his PhD thesis entitled Evidence for a Good Story: A Hybrid Theory of Arguments, Stories and Criminal Evidence in Groningen, the Netherlands. His thesis work was supervised by Henry Prakken, Bart Verheij and Peter van Koppen.

• Abstract: The thesis develops a theory of reasoning with the evidence and facts in the context of criminal cases. In the literature two approaches to such reasoning have been proposed: argumentation and storytelling. It is discussed how stories and arguments can be combined in one hybrid theory, which is presented both in a formal logic as well as informally. Furthermore, criteria that a good story or argument should meet are given and a formal-logical dialogue game, which aims to concretise these criteria, is presented.
• Summary
• Citation: F.J. Bex, Evidence for a Good Story: A Hybrid Theory of Arguments, Stories and Criminal Evidence. (2009) Doctoral Dissertation, University of Groningen.

John Lawrence joins us today from his previous job at EDS. John will be working on the Dialectical Argumentaiton Machines project, initially looking at developing the link between dialogue and monologue in implemented argumentation support systems.

John maintains his homepage at www.johnlawrence.net