Postdoctoral Researcher in Linguistics

Post-Doctoral Researcher (m/f/d, E13 TV-L, 100%)

Faculty of Humanities, Department of Linguistics

Bewerbungsfrist: 10.11.2025

The following position is available at the Department of Linguistics of the Faculty of Humanities.

Post-Doctoral Researcher 
Philosophy of Language / Cognitive Language Science / Pragmatics / Logic (m/f/d, E13 TV-L, 100%)

The position will be filled for a fixed term until June 2029. Payment is at 100% (fulltime) salary scale E13. Starting date could be January 1st, 2026, but is negotiable within reasonable limits.

The project seeks to investigate the notion of common ground in linguistic communication by taking an interdisciplinary perspective, incorporating insights from the philosophy of language, the cognitive language sciences, linguistic pragmatics, and formal logic / epistemology. The main task of the post-doctoral researcher is to contribute to a better conceptual, procedural, and terminological understanding of the notion of common ground in explanations surrounding phenomena related to, e.g., linguistic communication, pragmatic Theory-of-Mind reasoning, language structure, and/or coordinated interaction in general. The ideal candidate would therefore bring a strong analytical mindset, the willingness to engage in philosophical reflection, the ability to thrive in interdisciplinary teams, and a solid foundation in the wider area of the cognitive / philosophical language sciences. The position also interfaces with formal work (e.g., logic, computational simulations, probabilistic cognitive modeling, etc.) and empirical research via experiments with human participants.

Requirements for employment are a completed PhD degree in a relevant field (Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Psychology, Philosophy, or similar), near native-level of spoken and written English, and robust conceptual and analytical skills, as documented through prior research publications in the wider field of the philosophical / cognitive language sciences. Some prior acquaintance with some of the literature on common ground, irrespective of the academic field, is required. The ability to work in a diverse team, with members from different backgrounds and different experience levels, is also required. Not required but very desirable are familiarity with formal / computational work or empirical research including statistical data analysis.

The position is associated with the project “Probabilistic Reasoning about Common Ground” under the auspices of the Collaborative Research Center “Common Ground: Cognition, Grammar, Communication” (CRC1718) funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and located at the University of Tübingen. The project is led by Principal Investigators Prof. Dr. Michael Franke and Dr. Todd Snider. The project offers a cohesive, diverse, and interdisciplinary research environment focused on linguistic communication. The project offers many opportunities for forward-looking research and the acquisition of new skills and research methods (e.g., probabilistic cognitive modelling, experimental work, statistical data analysis).

The University of Tübingen seeks to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urges qualified female academics to apply for these positions. Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference in the hiring process. The University of Tübingen is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. It therefore takes individual situations into account and asks for relevant information. The employment will be handled by the central administration of the University of Tübingen.

Please send your application together with the required documents (motivation letter summarizing your research experience and interests, extensive CV, list of publications, contact details of three potential referees) by November 10th, 2025 to Prof. Dr. Michael Franke, Keplerstr. 2, 72074 Tübingen, sekretariat.pragmatikspam prevention@semsprach.uni-tuebingen.de . Enquiries may also be sent to this address.

General information on hiring processes and the German academic system can be found here.