Postdoctoral Position in Linguistics

University of Copenhagen

Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics
Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
Start date: 1 April 2026
Duration: 20 months
Application deadline: 6 January 2026 (23:59 CET)
ID number: 211-2367/25-2I #2

Introduction

The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics invites applications for a postdoctoral position within the collaborative research project The Indo-European Dark Ages Illuminated, funded by VELUX FONDEN.

The project aims to reconstruct the cultural vocabulary of the Indo-European “Dark Ages”—the period between the dissolution of Proto-Indo-European and the formation of the daughter branches. Semantic fields include:

  1. Clothing & textiles

  2. Metals & metallurgy

  3. Animal husbandry

  4. Agriculture

  5. Foods & utensils

  6. Social structure & jurisdiction

  7. Religious practices

  8. Warfare

  9. Transport

  10. Economy & commerce

  11. Construction & buildings

The project builds a large comparative lexical database and applies computer-assisted phylogenetic analysis to determine minimal ages of lexical items, contributing to knowledge about cultural and technological developments in prehistoric western Eurasia.

Duties & Responsibilities

  • Primary focus on research, with some teaching possibly required.

  • Collect and quality-assure data for the Anatolian and Tocharian branches.

  • Coauthor one article and independently write two articles.

  • Conduct research on relevant semantic fields where Anatolian and/or Tocharian data are significant.

  • Collaborate closely with the project team and participate in meetings at the Roots of Europe research centre.

  • Integrate with the Language History research group.

Qualification Requirements

  • A PhD (or near completion) in Indo-European Studies or a closely related field.

  • High-level academic English (written and spoken).

  • Reading proficiency in German (mandatory).

  • Advantageous:

    • Knowledge of computational phylogenetics and traditional subgrouping methods.

    • Understanding of relationships between linguistic, archaeological, and genetic evidence.

Assessment criteria include:

  • Research qualifications, publications, and ability to conduct independent research.

  • Ability to engage in research collaboration.

  • Research plan aligned with project themes.

  • Teaching experience (not required but may be considered).

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word and may be written in English or Danish. Required documents:

  1. Letter of motivation

  2. CV

  3. Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates, PhD diploma)

  4. Complete publication list, divided into:

    • Peer-reviewed: monographs/anthologies, journal articles, book chapters

    • Non-peer-reviewed: research dissemination etc.

    • (Attach max. 5 publications, clearly dated and numbered 1–5)

  5. Research plan, including:

    • Previous work relevant to the project

    • Outline of planned subproject and proposed papers

    • Brief career plan beyond the postdoc

  6. Teaching portfolio / documentation of teaching competencies

Applicants are encouraged to review:

  • Faculty strategic landmarks

  • UCPH teaching portfolio guidelines

  • UCPH career structure and job framework documents

Salary & Employment Terms

  • Salary in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations).

  • Monthly salary starts at DKK 39,200 (~EUR 5,200) + 18.07% pension contribution.

  • Potential salary supplements negotiable annually.

Recruitment Process

  • After the deadline, selected applicants will be shortlisted.

  • An expert assessment committee will be appointed to evaluate shortlisted applications.

  • Applicants may comment on the committee’s assessment.

  • The university may conduct security screening related to international research collaboration.

More details: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen.

Equal Opportunity

The University of Copenhagen is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, encouraging all qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender, age, disability, ethnicity, or other personal backgrounds.

International Applicants

UCPH provides extensive support for international researchers and families, including relocation services and partner career counselling.

More information: For international researchers at UCPH.

Contact Information

  • Position-related inquiries:
    Professor Thomas Olander
    ???? olander@hum.ku.dk

  • Recruitment process:
    HR Søndre Campus
    ???? HR-Soendre@adm.ku.dk
    Please refer to ID number 211-2367/25-2I #2

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