PhD position on early language development, “A sound start: Prosodic development before birth and in the first three years of life.”
The PhD position is part of a new research programme on language development at Utrecht University, the Netherlands: “A sound start: Prosodic development before birth and in the first three years of life.” Children show remarkable knowledge of native prosody (i.e. melody and rhythm in speech) at birth and thrive on it in early language and communication development.
This programme investigates how children develop prosodic competence so early. Taking an interdisciplinary and crosslinguistic approach, it aims to discern the role of innate mechanisms, uncover learning mechanisms in the auditory modality underlying development spanning prenatal and after-birth periods, and shed light on the role of visual cues to prosody (i.e. speech-accompanying gestures) in after-birth periods. This programme encompasses three PhD projects. PhD projects 1 and 2 will be concerned with the first two goals in the learning of prosodic phrasing (i.e. grouping sequences of sounds into meaningful units in speech streams) and prosodic form-meaning mappings (i.e. associating prosodic patterns with communicative functions), PhD project 3 with the third goal in both areas of prosodic development.
We are seeking to hire a highly motivated, driven, and talented PhD student to conduct PhD project 2 in a period of four years. In this PhD project, you will examine the role of innate mechanisms and learning mechanisms underlying development in prosodic form-meaning mappings. You will work with Dutch-exposed newborns using EEG and Dutch-speaking expecting mothers using a prenatal training paradigm. You will also conduct corpus-based research on structured mother-child interactions in Indonesian, Swedish and Dutch and non-structured mother-child interactions in Swedish and Dutch.
In this research programme you will work within an interdisciplinary team, closely collaborating with researchers from the fields of linguistics, neuroscience, psycholinguistics, psychology and neonatology. You will receive assistance from student assistants in data collection and/or data processing and have the opportunity to develop your academic teaching skills during your project.
The PhD projects are funded by a VICI grant (VI.C. 201.109) from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) to Prof. Aoju Chen and will be carried out at the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, at Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
The tasks include:
- completion and defence of an article-based PhD thesis within four years;
- regular presentation of intermediate research results at workshops and conferences;
- publication of at least three peer-reviewed articles in established international journals;
- co-organization of project workshops and conferences;
- participation in training programmes and expert meetings organised for the project group;
- participation in relevant training programmes provided by the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS, National Graduate School of Linguistics and other organisations;
- participation in teaching on relevant areas at the BA or MA level in the third year of the project.
Qualifications
The general requirements are:
- an MA degree (or equivalent) in linguistics, psycholinguistics, psychology, or neuroscience obtained by the starting date;
- affinity with research on prosodic development;
- demonstrable knowledge in at least one of the following areas: prosody, phonetics, phonology, language development, early speech perception;
- high proficiency in academic English;
- ability to meet deadlines;
- readiness to learn new research methods and statistical analyses;
- ability to work both as an independent researcher and as a team member in an interdisciplinary team;
- strong organizational, social and communication skills;
- prior experience with conducting EEG research is a plus.
The specific requirements for the current PhD position are:
- prior experience with infant research;
- high proficiency in Swedish and/or Dutch is a plus;
- working knowledge of Indonesian and one of the other two languages (Swedish, Dutch) is desirable.
Offer
We offer an appointment of 1.0 FTE for the duration of 18 months. Upon good performance and a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of 30 months (4 years in total). The gross salary starts with €2,395 per month in the first year and increases to €3,061 per month in the fourth year of employment (scale P according to the Collective Employment Agreement of the Dutch Universities) for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions external link(multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University external linkcan be found here.
About the organisation
A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University external link, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.
The Faculty of Humanities external linkhas around 6,000 students and 900 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education in these fields, the faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city center of Utrecht, where the faculty is housed, contribute to an inspiring working environment.
Additional information
For more information about this position, please contact prof. dr. Aoju Chen external link(Professor of Language development in relation to socialisation and identity), via aoju.chen@uu.nl.
Apply
Everyone deserves to feel at home at our university. We welcome employees with a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation via the ‘apply’ button below
If you are interested in applying for the PhD position, please submit digital copies of:
- your curriculum vitae including full personal and academic details;
- a motivation letter;
- copies of relevant diplomas and academic transcripts;
- your (draft) master’s thesis and other relevant publications you can provide;
- names and full contact details of two academic referees.
The application deadline is 9 May 2022.