Research Fellow in NLP Sign Language Translation – Research Fellow

University of Southampton
Southampton, Hampshire, United Kingdom

The University of Southampton is seeking a passionate and skilled Research Fellow to join the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) on a groundbreaking project focused on advancing inclusive communication technology. This full-time, fixed-term position is part of the EPSRC-funded RADAR-SIGN-BRIDGE initiative, where you will lead the natural language processing (NLP) and language modelling work to enable next-generation British Sign Language (BSL) translation capabilities.

Situated at the intersection of sensor technology, language science and artificial intelligence, the role involves transforming radar-derived motion data into linguistically meaningful representations and bridging sign language with written language. You will work with an interdisciplinary team led by Dr Shelly Vishwakarma in collaboration with partners including the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Speech Technology Research and University College London’s Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre.

Key responsibilities include developing NLP models tailored to BSL-aware units, working with annotated datasets, exploring advanced sequence modelling approaches such as transformers, and ensuring linguistic validity by collaborating with Deaf researchers and linguists. This position also involves contributing to academic publications, open-source datasets, and presentations on international platforms, fostering both scientific impact and social relevance.

Applicants should hold a PhD, or have equivalent experience, in Computer Science, NLP, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or a closely related field. A strong foundational understanding of NLP and ML methods combined with a commitment to research that addresses real-world communication barriers is essential.

Candidates must demonstrate proven expertise in natural language processing and language modelling, along with excellent programming skills in Python and familiarity with deep learning frameworks. Experience working with multimodal data, sign language data, or related sensing technologies such as radar is advantageous but not required. Strong teamwork, collaboration, and an interest in socially impactful research are key attributes for success in this role.

The role offers a competitive salary in the range of £36,636 to £41,064 per annum, reflective of research fellow level within the UK academic pay framework.

Applications are accepted until 11 March 2026.