PhD Fellow in Linguistics

The position A PhD position within linguistics is available at the Department of Language and Culture, Faculty of Humanitites, Social Sciences and Education. The objective of the position is to complete research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD programme is a prerequisite for employment, and the programme period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD fellow position is for a period of three years and full time studies with the possibility of an extension of the appointment period. If the doctoral dissertation is submitted for appraisal within 3 years or within 3.5 years, the PhD candidate is qualified for a completion grant for either 12 or 6 months. The completion grant should be used to further qualification measures such as courses in teaching in higher education, lecturing and other relevant work at the faculty. More information about the completion grant scheme can be found here. The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer. The Department of Language and Culture The Department of Language and Culture has a very active and diverse research profile. The Department’s core activities are research, teaching, and dissemination within linguistics, literature, art history, and media and documentation studies. The Department hosts about 140 employees the majority of which are situated at the Tromsø campus, but some are at the Alta campus. There are about 500 students at the department. The Department houses one of the world’s foremost research communities in linguistics represented by Center for Language, Brain and Learning (C-LaBL). I addition, there are research groups within acquisition (AcqVA-Nor), cognitive linguistics (CLEAR), Sami language technology (Giellatekno and Divvun), and sociolinguistics, multilingualism, and revitalization (MultiNor). The Department’s research communities within literature, art history, and media and documentation studies are nationally highly competitive, and are organised into research groups such as Arctic Voices, Engaging Conflicts in a Digital Era (ENCODE), Health, Art and Society (HAS), Interdisciplinary Phenomenology (IP), Pax Slavia in FLux: European Contexts (PSIF) and Worlding Northern Art (WONA). ISK offers teaching in the following fields: linguistics, literature, art history, media and documentation studies, English, Kven, Finnish, Norwegian, Russian, Sami, Spanish, and German, as one-year programmes, as well as full Bachelor and Master programmes (including three international programmes). The department is also involved in teacher education level 8-13 and provides teaching in North Sami, Spanish, English, Nordic, Russian and German. In addition, the department is responsible for all the Sami language teaching (mother tongue and second language) at UiT. It also offers PhD programmes in linguistics, cultural/literary studies, art history, as well as media and documentation studies. About The Academic Environment The department's research environments in linguistics are primarily organized within the Center for Language, Brain, and Learning (C-LaBL) and the following research groups: Acquisition, Variation and Attrition with focus on Norwegian contexts (AcqVA-Nor), Cognitive Linguistics: Empirical Approaches to Russian (CLEAR), Giellatekno, and Multilingual North – Diversity, Education and Revitalisation (MultiNor). Additionally, the department hosts a center for Sámi Lexicography. The Department of Language and Culture boasts a strong and diverse academic environment in linguistics, conducting research on a wide range of languages, including English, Finnish, Kven, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, German, and Sámi languages. The research groups also work on many other languages, and projects focusing on languages not listed above are also welcome. Each research group has a distinct focus, and potential applicants are encouraged to visit the research groups' websites and contact relevant supervisors for more information. About The Project The candidate is free to develop their own project within the field of linguistics but must ensure that it can be linked to one of the department's research groups. The project must align thematically with UiT's strategy and the faculty's strategic long-term plan and be connected to a research group or center at the department. The project should be academically relevant to the department's research activities and feasible to supervise by staff at the department. Topics related to Kven and Sámi languages are particularly encouraged. For information about the research centers and groups at the Department of Language and Culture (ISK), please visit their websites: Center for Language, Brain and Learning (C-LaBL) Acquisition, Variation and Attrition with focus on Norwegian contexts (AcqVA-Nor) Cognitive Linguistics: Empirical Approaches to Russian (CLEAR) Giellatekno (including Sámi lexicography) Multilingual North – Diversity, Education and Revitalisation (MultiNor) The applicants must present a description outlining the academic basis of the PhD project. The project description shall not exceed 5 pages. Literature references must be attached and are not included in the page count. It must include a description of the topic, research question(s) and a reasoning of the choices. It should also indicate the methodologies to be used. The final project description will be developed in cooperation with the supervisor. Template for project description can be found here. Contact For further information about the position, please contact Head of Department Cathrine Theodorsen: telephone: +47 77 64 55 89 email: cathrine.theodorsen@uit.no Or Merete Anderssen, Professor Of English Linguistics telephone: +47 77 64 42 54 email: merete.anderssen@uit.no Qualifications Required qualifications: A Master's degree or equivalent in a field relevant to the project, such as a Master's in linguistics, a Master's in a specific language with a thesis on a language-related topic, or in areas such as language acquisition, psycholinguistics, or applied linguistics. Qualification with a master’s degree is required before commencement in the position. If you are near completion of your master’s degree, you may still apply and submit a draft version of the thesis and a statement from your supervisor or institution indicating when the degree will be obtained. You must still submit your transcript of grades for the master’s degree with your application. Proficiency in English. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma. Desired Qualifications Proficiency in Norwegian or another Scandinavian language. The emphasis is on the applicant's potential to complete a research education based on the master's thesis or equivalent, and any other scientific work. (The project description will also be considered.) In addition, professional experience and other experience of significance for the completion of the doctoral programme will be taken into consideration. We will also emphasize motivation and personal suitability for the position. We are looking for candidates who: Have good collaboration skills Have good communication and interaction with colleagues and students Wants to contribute to a good working environment As many people as possible should have the opportunity to undertake organized research training. If you already hold a PhD or have equivalent competence, we will not appoint you to this position. Admission to the PhD programme For employment in the PhD position, you must be qualified for admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education and participate in organized doctoral studies within the employment period. Admission Normally Requires A bachelor's degree of 180 ECTS and a master's degree of 120 ECTS, or an integrated master's degree of 300 ECTS. A master's thesis with a scope corresponding