University or Organization: KU Leuven, Belgium
Department: Department of Linguistics, Research Unit QLVL (Quantitative Lexicology and Variational Linguistics)
Job Location: Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
Web Address: https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/ling/qlvl
Job Title: Two open full-time PhD positions in Linguistics (research group QLV)
Job Rank: Researcher

Specialty Areas: Computational Linguistics; Semantics; Text/Corpus Linguistics

Description:

The research group Quantitative Lexicology and Variational Linguistics (QLVL) at KU Leuven has two open full-time PhD positions in Linguistics on the topics of semantic change and semantic drift in lexis and grammar. Both positions are part of the MSCA Doctoral Network CASCADE (Computational Analysis of Semantic Change Across Different Environments), which is a collaboration of universities and companies from Ireland, Belgium, Finland, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

We offer you a full-time 3-year PhD position, pending a positive evaluation by the doctoral committee at the end of the first year. The gross amount of the doctoral scholarship (tax-free) will be approximately €2.947,24 per month if you are single with no dependent family members. It will be higher if you have a registered partner without income and/or dependent child(ren); it will be lower if you have a registered partner with income. The PhD projects will be supervised by Prof. Dirk Speelman and Prof. Dirk Geeraerts. You will be given support to participate in European and international conferences and publish your science in respected scientific journals. You will be offered the opportunity to participate in training camps and research conventions organized by the CASCADE network. In addition, you will be provided with career guidance and encouraged to develop skills for science-adjacent careers including through courses via the KU Leuven International Doctoral School for the Humanities and Social Sciences. The research group also supports the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and embraces Open Science.

We seek a candidate with a Master's degree in Linguistics or equivalent, combined with a strong interest in quantitative and computational methods.

A successful candidate will ideally:
- Have a strong interest in linguistics and semantics
- Be well-versed in quantitative corpus-linguistic methods and have a basic understanding of distributional semantics
- Have at least intermediate programming and/or data-analysis skills
- Be creative with a strong interest in fundamental and applied scientific research
- Be able to work well as a team player
- Have good academic performance at the MSc and BSc levels
- Demonstrate an ability to write and communicate in English
- Be eager to learn new techniques
- Be able to integrate in an international and diverse working environment

Additionally, the following eligibility rules apply:
- All applicants recruited in a MSCA Doctoral Network must be doctoral candidates (which implies that they are not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment)
- MSCA Mobility Rule: Applicants of any nationality are accepted but must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Belgium for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment.

Applicants are requested to enclose the following documents in English with their applications as a single PDF file:
- A curriculum vitae, including possible publications
- A report (max. 3 pages) describing the applicant's research activities (activities in the scientific community, interdisciplinary work and international research activity)
- A written vision (max. 1 page) for the applicant's position in the CASCADE project based on what is described in this document

For more information, please contact Prof. dr. Dirk Speelman (mail: [email protected]). You can apply for this job no later than March 29, 2024.

Application Deadline: 29-Mar-2024
Mailing Address for Applications:

Web Address for Applications: https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jobsite/jobs/60307020?lang=en
Contact Information:
Dirk Speelman
Email: [email protected]