Postdoctoral position in aphasiology

The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark, invites applications for a 2-yearpostdoctoral position in aphasiologyto be filled by 1 May 2023,or as soon as possible thereafter.

The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS ) provides the setting for international research and education from BA to PhD studies within linguistics and language technology, literature, media, culture, and gender studies. More information can be found here: https://nors.ku.dk

Job content
The Postdoc will be part of the project Grammar and agrammatism in Greenlandic (GreenGram), financed by Independent Research Fund Denmark.

This project addresses a challenge raised by the first study of agrammatism in a polysynthetic language, Greenlandic. In this study, we found slow speech rates and short utterances, as expected of agrammatic speech, but almost none of the grammatical problems that gave agrammatism its name.
The challenge raised by the study can be formulated in two questions:
1. Can the findings in the pilot study be replicated on a larger set of data collected from a group of well-diagnosed subjects?
2. What makes Greenlandic grammar, and presumably polysynthetic grammar in general, (seemingly) immune to agrammatism?

The project brings together linguists, aphasiologists and neuroscientists to answer these questions based on the first coherent functional-cognitive theory of what grammar is. The answer to the second question is a key to understanding the neurocognitive mechanisms behind grammar and agrammatism, and a key to aid Greenlanders with agrammatism.

The Postdoc project to be carried out by the candidate consists in:

The Postdoc project will be carried out in close collaboration with (among others) Associate Professor of linguistics Kasper Boye (PI), Associate Professor of Greenlandic Naja Trondhjem, Professor of Neurolinguistics Roelien Bastiaanse, Professor of Neurology Hanne Christensen, speech therapist Frederikke Simonsen, and native speakers of Greenlandic.

It is highly recommended that applicants contact PI Kasper Boye at [email protected] prior to submission of the application.

Qualification requirements
To be considered for the position applicants must have research qualifications at least corresponding to what can be achieved as part of a successfully completed PhD within a relevant field.

Ideally, this means that applicants must at least have submitted their PhD thesis by the time of application.

Relevant fields are aphasiology and neurolinguistics – and neighboring fields, required that the candidate presents documentation for strong qualifications in one or both of the named fields.

In addition, the applicant preferably has one or more of the following qualifications:

• Statistics skills.
• Experience with collection and analysis of aphasic data.
• Knowledge of research on bilingualism in aphasia
• Knowledge of Greenlandic and/or Danish and/or related languages.

For further details about the qualification requirements for postdocs, please refer to the job structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2013: https://ufm.dk/en/legislation/prevailing-laws-and-regulations/education/files/job-structure-for-academic-staff-at-universities-2013.pdf

For further information about the position, please contact PI Kasper Boye at [email protected] or head of department Anne Jensen at [email protected] .

Application
Submit the application online in Adobe PDF or Word format.

Please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this page.

The application must be written in English and include the following enclosures:

• An application letter. The letter must not exceed 5 pages and 12,000 characters.

The letter must describe i) the applicant’s motivation for applying, ii) the applicant’s qualifications in relation to the postdoc project outlined in the GreenGram project description (to be obtained from Kasper Boye at [email protected] ), iii) an account of how the applicant will contribute to the deliverables in the GreenGram project description. iii) plans for specific studies that fall under the GreenGram project description, and iv) a short description of previous research.

• Curriculum vitae (with applicant’s e-mail & telephone number).
• Documentation of qualifications (examination certificates/PhD diploma, etc.).
• Complete and numbered list of publications. The enclosed publications must be marked with *.
• Documentation of teaching qualifications and research dissemination, if any.

Appointment procedure
After the application deadline, the project PI and the Head of Department select applicants for assessment on the advice of the appointment committee. All applicants are notified of whether their application has been accepted for assessment. The Dean subsequently appoints an expert assessment committee tasked with carrying out an assessment of the selected applicants for the specific post. Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the committee. Applicants are ultimately offered the opportunity of commenting on the part of the assessment relating to themselves before the appointment is finalized.

Further information about the application procedure is available from e-mail: [email protected] . Please refer to ID number 211-1139/22-2I #1. 

Salary and conditions of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 35,624.38 (EUR 4,787.30) + a 17,1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have further agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, whereby the pension contribution will be paid out as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes, please read more here: https://ism.ku.dk/salary-tax-pension/pension/

If you consider applying from abroad, you may find useful information on how it is to work in Denmark and at UCPH here : http://ism.ku.dk , http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/frontpage.htm and https://www.workindenmark.dk/

UCPH wishes to encourage everyone interested in this post to apply, regardless of personal background.

The closing date for applications is 14 November 2022, 23:59 (Central European time).

Applications or supplementary material received thereafter will not be considered.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.