Natural Language Processing

The aim of Natural Language Processing is to develop computational models for analysing and generating human language. Research in the Department encompasses many areas of NLP, ranging from fundamental theory to real-world applications.

The models we develop are mainly based on modern machine learning techniques. On the theoretical side, we seek to understand the structure needed to represent language, how language is learned and processed by people, and how language varies between people and over time. On the application side, the ALTA institute develops technology to support second language teaching and assessment. Other researchers work on automated fact checking, dialogue systems, document summarisation and scientific text processing, as well as interdisciplinary work in various domains such as healthcare and cybercrime. Collaborations with other departments are supported by Cambridge Language Sciences.