Research Professional I (Temporary) (College of Social and Behavioral Sciences)

The University of Arizona's Department of Anthropology, within the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, invites you to apply to the role of Research Professional I.

At the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS), we work to investigate ideas, transform social conditions, and tell unheard stories. We prepare students, engage in research, and collaborate with community partners to address everyday challenges, be thoughtful problem-solvers, and build solidarity with others across the world.

We are rooted in the unique sense of place in our Borderlands region. With more than 30 SBS majors, the College of SBS has a portfolio of competitive and highly ranked graduate programs. Seven of our graduate programs are nationally ranked in the top 25, including top 5 programs in anthropology, geography, political philosophy, and creative nonfiction. With a wide range of subjects to choose from, our students can explore subjects ranging from ancient philosophy to artificial intelligence.

The candidate will work with Dr. Park on the Frej Papers - a collection of 19th C Moroccan financial ledgers from the head of customs in Rabat Morocco. The material was collected by Dr. Thomas Park in the 1970s and comprises 34 ledgers in Moroccan Arabic script that were turned into microfiche in Morocco and then digitized by research staff.

The goals are threefold a) to write a joint paper with Dr. Park on the financial relations between 19th century Moroccan elites and European financial institutions and b) to create a training corpus from the materials that can be used by an AI to turn the manuscript material in North African Arabic script into a typescript in standard Arabic script, c) to help develop an AI to automate the conversion of North African script to standard Arabic typescript.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, vision, life insurance and disability programs; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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• Peruse and extract from the 9656 pages of the Frej Papers material for a paper on Moroccan elite relationships with European financial institutions during the 19th century.
• Select a large corpus of key words and phrases that would be
  appropriate search criteria once a conversion of the manuscript to typescript
  is completed by an AI program (e.g. basis for creating training material for an
  AI).
• Transform this key set (a few 1000 words or phrases) into many
  transformed versions of each item to provide training material in sufficient
  quantity for the AI to learn recognize different handwritten versions of each
  member of the set.
• Set up relations with a UA mainframe to train the AI after assessing the
  potential utility of any extant versions for standard Arabic script (North
  African script is substantially different than that used in the Middle East).
• Write a key interface in an appropriate programming language for a
  manuscript to typescript project.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Fluency
  in Arabic and deep familiarity with 19th century Moroccan Arabic script.
• Familiarity with Moroccan economic history.
• Ability
  to program an interface for our manuscript to typescript project.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through experience required.
• 1 year of relevant work experience is required.
• Fluency in Arabic and North African Arabic script.

• Ph.D degree in Anthropology or Middle East and North African Studies or equivalent.
• Interest in Moroccan Financial history