Doctoral Position in Human Voice Recognition Development

University of Zurich Department of Computational Linguistics

Department of Computational Linguistics

Doctoral Position in Human Voice Recognition Development 60 %

Start of employment February 2026, Employment 60 % (+ 40 % personal PhD contribution), temporary

Computational linguistics is the science of understanding and modeling human language using computers. Since human language has many forms – spoken, signed and written – and involves various organs such as the vocal tract, ears, face, hands, eyes, and the brain, our research covers the full range of these modalities and senses.

We invite applications for a fully funded doctoral position to investigate voice recognition abilities in humans, with a focus on infancy and early development. The project will examine how infants (compared to adults) learn and recognize voices and the role that infant-directed speech/vocalisations play in this process, how these abilities emerge over time, and what cognitive and neural mechanisms support early voice identity processing. The PhD student will design and conduct behavioral, acoustic, and/or neuroimaging experiments to better understand the developmental trajectory of voice recognition and its role in social communication and language learning.

This position is located in the vibrant Phonetics & Speech Sciences Group in the Department of Computational Linguistics at the University of Zurich which brings together expertise in phonetics, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and computational modelling. The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art experimental facilities at the Linguistic Research Infrastructure (LiRI). The position will be co-supervised by an international team of researchers: Prof. Dr. Volker Dellwo (UZH), PD Dr. Elisa Pellegrino (UZH) and Prof. Dr. Rushen Shi (Université du Québec à Montréal).

Your responsibilities

• Co-design and conduct experiments on infant and/or adult voice recognition (behavioral, acoustic, and/or EEG/fNIRS methods).
• Collect, process, and analyze experimental data.
• Present findings at conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary research team.
• Contribute to the lab's teaching and mentoring activities (approx. 10–20%).
• Teaching of one course/term on human voice recognition.

Your profile

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, speech sciences, or a related field.
• Strong interest in voice communication sciences, voice perception, speech/language development, phonetics and cognitive neuroscience.
• Experience with experimental design and data analysis (e.g. R, Python, MATLAB, or similar).
• Good communication skills for recruiting and working with infants, young children and their parents.
• Good command of written and spoken English; knowledge of German is an asset (especially for infant participant recruitment).
• Strong motivation for interdisciplinary research, independence, and teamwork.

Information on your application

Our offer:

• A fully funded doctoral position with salary of ~58'000 CHF/year.
• The position consists of an employment of 60 % and 40 % personal contribution as part of the PhD position.
• An intellectually stimulating environment in a leading research group with integration in the VoCS network (www.vocs.eu.com).
• Opportunities for international collaboration, conference travel, and advanced training.
• Access to state-of-the-art research equipment.
• This position is limited up to 4 years.

Please upload the following documents as a single PDF:

• Motivation letter (max. 2 pages)
• CV (including publications, if any)
• Contact details of 2 referees

The application deadline ends when the position is filled.

What we offer

Work-Life Balance

• Flexible working models (such as part-time positions, mobile working, job-sharing)
• Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH

Learning and Development

• Wide range of continuing education courses of UZH and the Canton of Zurich
• Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich

Food

• Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias
• Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution

Healthcare

• Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ
• Free seasonal flu vaccinations
• Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower

Discounts

• Private traffic: Carsharing, rent a vehicle, parking space
• Digitalization: Hardware, software, mobile phone subscriptions
• Special conditions on hotel reservations

Conditions of Employment

• Policies of the UZH
• Most UZH staff are employed according to public law

International Services

• Support for people from outside Switzerland

Campuses

• Campuses Zurich City, Zurich Irchel, Oerlikon and Schlieren
• Sites Zurich West, Old Botanical Garden, Botanical Garden and Lengg

Location

Department of Computational Linguistics

Andreasstrasse 15, 8050 Zürich, Switzerland

Further information

Questions about the job

Prof. Dr. Volker Dellwo

Working at UZH

The University of Zurich, Switzerland's largest university, offers a range of attractive positions in various subject areas and professional fields. With around 10,000 employees and currently 12 professional apprenticeship streams the University offers an inspiring working environment on cutting-edge research and top-class education. Put your talent and skills to work with us. Find out more about UZH as an employer!