PhD Position in Language Studies

Radboud University Faculty of Arts

PhD Candidate at the Centre for Language Studies

  • Employment: 0.8 - 1.0 FTE
  • Gross monthly salary: € 2,443 - € 3,122
  • Faculty of Arts
  • Required background: Research University Degree
  • Application deadline: 1 April 2022

Language is what makes us human. That is why we need more research that helps us understand language better and how we use it. Would you like to contribute to a greater understanding the cognitive and social processes underlying language systems, processing and use? Then you have a part to play as a PhD candidate at the Centre for Language Studies.

As a PhD candidate, you will participate in the Graduate School for the Humanities. You will write a PhD dissertation, and provide your services to the Faculty of Arts of Radboud University for a period of six months, including approximately 500 hours of teaching in areas of your expertise. As this position is embedded in the Centre for Language Studies, your dissertation should be in accordance with one of the focus areas of this centre. Descriptions of these areas can be found on the CLS website. We are looking for two PhD candidates.

Profile

  • You have a Master's degree (or expect to complete the degree before September 2022) in one of the disciplines related to CLS.
  • You have a declaration of approval by a provisional PhD supervisor (a full or associate professor with the right to award doctorates) from the Centre for Language Studies.
  • You are result-oriented and fluent in English, and have excellent writing skills.
  • Demonstrable research experience in the field of your proposal will be considered an advantage.

We are

The Faculty of Arts is committed to knowledge production with a significant scientific and social impact. With over 500 academic and support staff, we teach and conduct research in the fields of history and art, languages and cultures, and linguistics and communication, using innovative methodologies and working in close collaboration between the disciplines. Our research is embedded in two research institutes: the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) and the Radboud Institute for Culture & History (RICH). We currently have approximatively 2,500 students, enrolled in three departments: the Department of History, Art History and Classics, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, and the Department of Language and Communication. We aim to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive world, which is why we especially seek applications from candidates who bring diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and skills that will be assets to our study programmes and research profiles.

Radboud University
We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

  • Employment for 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
  • The gross starting salary amounts to €2,443 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,122 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P).
  • You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
  • You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract) or 3.5 years (5 year contract).
  • You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment  and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
  • Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 29 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.
Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Dr Peter van der Heiden, Coordinator of the Graduate School for the Humanities at +31 24 361 55 59 or gshcoordinator@let.ru.nl.

Practical information and applications

You can apply until 1 April 2022, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Dr Peter van der Heiden. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:
  • A letter of motivation.
  • Your CV.
  • A summary (500 words maximum) of your proposal.
  • A list of all grades obtained for your BA and MA degrees.
  • The names of the intended supervisors of your project. 

Your application must be supported by a declaration of approval written by your provisional PhD supervisor within CLS (a full or associate professor with the right to award doctorates), whom you should contact well in advance of the deadline. Your daily supervisor may be a professor, an associate professor or an assistant professor. Information on possible supervisors and their fields of expertise is available on our website. 

The first round of interviews will take place on Wednesday 25 May. Selected applicants will be invited to write a full proposal according to the guidelines that you can download from our website.

You would preferably begin employment on 1 September 2022.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.

We drafted this vacancy to find and hire our new colleague ourselves. Recruitment agencies are kindly requested to refrain from responding.

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