Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University Centre for Linguistics has a vacancy for a

PhD candidate (Language, Culture and Cognition)
Vacancy number: 13607

Description:
We are looking for a talented junior researcher with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in the language sciences and adjacent disciplines such as psychology or anthropology who is fascinated by the relationship between language, culture and cognition and who is able to carry out fieldwork among pastoralist communities in Africa. The PhD candidate will conduct research grounded in anthropological linguistics, descriptive linguistics and/or psycholinguistics to provide first-hand, comparative data and build on the NWO Veni project Cattle-talk: the language of color among East African pastoralists. The project looks at the language-culture-cognition interface to investigate the role played by culture in the relation between language (lexicon and grammar) and cognition.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Collecting audio-visual linguistic and cultural data through ethnographic fieldwork;
• Transcribing, annotating and analysing naturalistic data;
• Creating stimuli for the investigation of cross-linguistic domains, especially visual semantics;
• Presenting research results at international conferences and workshops;
• Publishing research results and write a PhD-thesis within the period of appointment;
• Teaching or assisting in teaching activities at bachelor or master level.

Selection criteria:

• A completed Master’s degree in linguistics or adjacent disciplines such as psychology; or anthropology of language, with some experience in language analysis, cultural analysis, or experimental methods;
• Excellent research and fieldwork skills demonstrated by your Master's thesis;
• Good command of English or French;
• Working knowledge of an African language (depending on the study area);

A strong cooperative attitude and willingness to engage in collaborative research.

Research at our faculty/ institute
Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL) is one of seven Institutes that falls under the Faculty of Humanities. With over 120 linguists working at the Institute, it is a rich research environment that prides itself on fostering scientific excellence. At LUCL we offer extensive research support to our researchers. For example, our in-house grant officer will advise and help you apply for grants, a dedicated project officer will guide you with project finances and a communications advisor is on hand to assist you in publicizing your research.We have an active PhD student council at LUCL, which organizes regular social and academic activities for PhD students. Our two confidential counsellors and PhD coach ensure a safe and collaborative working environment.

LUCL has a longstanding tradition in the study of the world’s languages and features unique linguistic expertise. Researchers from our six umbrella research groups are experts in their respective fields but equally find innovative ways of collaborating with other fields and disciplines.

The Faculty of Humanities is rich in expertise in fields such as philosophy, religious studies, history, art history, literature, linguistics and area studies covering nearly every region of the world. With its staff of 995, the faculty provides 27 master’s and 25 bachelor’s programmes for over 7,000 students based at locations in Leiden and inThe Hague. For more information:https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/humanities.

Terms and conditions
Appointment will be according to the terms of the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO Nederlandse Universiteiten). The employment will be for a period of four years (first a contract of 18 months with an extension of 30 months after positive evaluation of capabilities and compatibility), starting as soon as possible. The appointment must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis.

The salary range for a PhD candidate is from €2,541.- to €3,247.- gross per month (pay-scale PhD candidates in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities), with substantial additional holiday and end-of-year bonuses. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Diversity
Diversity and inclusion are core values at Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community in which all students and staff members feel valued, respected and able to develop their full potential. We firmly believe that diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research.

Information
For further information on this project please contact Sara Petrollino, email s.petrollino@hum.leidenuniv.nl, or on practical matters Maarit van Gammeren LLM, email m.s.k.van.gammeren@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

Applications
Applications should be submitted no later than 30 April, 2023 via the blue button in our application system.

Applicants should submit online:

• A motivation letter;
• A detailed curriculum vitae;
• A (link to a) pdf of your MA thesis and a pdf of an article or a term paper that you wrote;
• A list of all Master-level modules you have taken, with an official transcript of grades;
• Names, positions and contact information of two referees (no reference letters).

Interviews are planned between late May and early June 2023.

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.