"Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Quantitative Linguistics"

About Us

Western Sydney University is a modern, research-led institution located in Australia’s fastest-growing region. With 11 campuses across Sydney and international sites in Vietnam, Indonesia, and soon India, it supports nearly 50,000 students and 3,500 staff. Ranked in the top 2% of universities globally, over 85% of its research meets or exceeds world standards. It holds the #1 global and national position in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (2022–2025) for its commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development is an interdisciplinary research institute of Western Sydney University. The vision for the Institute is to optimise human interaction and wellbeing across the lifespan. We strive to solve the problems that matter most through the themes: sensing and perceiving, interacting with each other, and technologies for humans. Researchers in MARCS come from many disciplines including cognitive science, developmental psychology, language science, music science, cognitive neuroscience, and biomedical, electrical, electronic and software engineering. The Institute consists of three Research Areas - the International Centre for Neuromorphic Systems, Brain Sciences, and Biomedical and Human Technologies. The Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Quantitative Linguistics will join the Brain Sciences research program.

The Institute is committed to a culture that embraces equity and a diverse and inclusive community where everyone participates in a safe and respectful environment. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage applications from people of diverse gender, sexual orientation, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, people with disability and those with caring and family responsibilities. Further information is available from our website – http://westernsydney.edu.au/marcs.

The Opportunity

Are you a quantitative linguist, interested in Indigenous and Non-Indo-European Languages and the impact of their decline? Western’s MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development is seeking to appoint an outstanding and innovative scholar as part-time Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Quantitative Linguistics. This role offers a unique opportunity to join a team of researchers working on the world-leading project, “Scope and ramifications of Indigenous language loss among Papua New Guinea’s youth” funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Grant led by Dr Hannah Sarvasy.

As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will provide outstanding expertise in quantitative and experimental study design and statistical analysis to assess the scope of Indigenous language loss among youth in Papua New Guinea, assess the potential for intervention, and study ramifications for social cohesion, individual and community well-being, and even cognition. Working with Dr Hannah Sarvasy, you will conduct quantitative linguistic research using behavioural and statistical modelling methods. You will be involved in all aspects of the research, from designing, setting up, running studies to analysing and writing up high-quality articles in recognised journals and presenting findings at conferences. This position is key to ensuring that the team’s quantitative and experimental work is state-of-the-art.

This is a part-time 17.5 hours per week (0.5 FTE), fixed-term position for 3 years based at the Westmead Innovation Quarter. Please review the position description for further information.

About You

You possess or are currently working towards, a relevant doctoral qualification in Linguistics, Experimental Psychology, Computer Science or a related field. You have expertise in experimental design, statistical modelling and data analysis from Indigenous and non-Indo-European language data, with a background in collaborating with colleagues from a range of cultural backgrounds. You have a proven track record of publishing high-quality research and presenting at conferences in the area of quantitative analyses of linguistic and social data, and experimentation, and your excellent communication and interpersonal skills enable you to work effectively within a team.

If you are passionate about advancing our understanding of Indigenous languages in Papua New Guinea and eager to contribute to cutting-edge research, we invite you to apply for this opportunity.

Why Join Us?

At Western Sydney University, we champion equity, inclusion, and wellbeing—both within our community and beyond. If you're passionate about driving meaningful change, we invite you to be part of our mission. We offer: Flexibility: Hybrid work options and generous leave entitlements. Growth: Professional development, networking, and secondment opportunities. Perks: Fitness Passport, library access, café and restaurant deals, and more! Remuneration Package: Academic Level A $56,359 to $68,090 p.a. (comprising Salary of $47,624 to $57,537 p.a., plus Superannuation and Leave Loading). Please note - the above salary range is 0.5 FTE of the full-time equivalent rate.

Position Enquiries: Please direct enquires about the role to Dr Hannah Sarvasy via email at h.sarvasy@westernsydney.edu.au. Recruitment Enquiries: Specific enquiries or issues with your application may be directed to the Talent Acquisition Team at talentacquisitionteam@westernsydney.edu.au. Closing date: 8.30pm, Wednesday 20 August 2025. Immigration Sponsorship: Employer Visa sponsorship will be provided if required. Only those applications submitted via the WSU online recruitment system will be accepted.