"PhD Position: Social Interaction and Language Technology"

Job Summary

As a PhD candidate, you will investigate topics at the intersection of human language and interactive interfaces, as part of the Futures of Language project. This involves studying how language and technology shape each other, focusing on social interaction, global linguistic diversity, and interactive interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Co-design and conduct your own research project within the team.
• Address questions such as how people perform social actions with human and non-human entities, the impact of technological mediation on language use, and developing better evaluation methods for language technology based on human interaction.
• Devote up to 75% of your time to research and writing your PhD thesis, with the remaining 25% on training and teaching duties.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Hold an MA or Research MA degree in Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Communication and Information Sciences, or a related discipline focused on empirical research on social interaction.
• Have experience with analyzing conversational structure, including qualitative (conversation analysis) and quantitative (corpus) research, or be highly motivated to acquire these skills.
• Demonstrate interest in language, social interaction, and language technology.
• Be proactive, able to conduct independent and collaborative research, with excellent English command and enthusiasm for reading and writing.
• Be willing to perform teaching and service duties.

What the Employer Offers

• A temporary employment contract of 1.5 years, extendable to 4 years based on performance evaluation.
• Starting salary of €3,059 gross per month, increasing to €3,881 in the fourth year, based on a 38-hour workweek.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Flexible working hours, various leave arrangements, working from home options, and opportunities for personal development through training schemes.
• Support for dual career coaching and additional benefits like pension plans and sports reimbursements.