The University of Agder has more than 1500 employees and almost 14 000 students, making us one of Southern Norway's largest workplaces. Our dedicated staff engage in research, teaching and dissemination across a diverse range of fields.

The university is located on two modern campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad.

About the position

A fixed-term 100 % position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Humanities and Education, as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow affiliated to the Department of Foreign Languages and Translation, for a period of three years. The position is located at the University of Agder’s Kristiansand campus. The proposed starting date is the 1st of October, 2025.

About the Faculty

The position is linked to a Synergy research project funded by the European Research Council entitled Phonological cognisance and allied linguistic representations: acquisition, bilingualism, change and script (PAAL) 2025-2031. This international project is a collaboration between the Universities of Agder in Norway, Radboud in the Netherlands, and Oxford in the U.K. The project will investigate the representation of phonological knowledge and its relationship to script. This includes investigating how script interacts with representations in (morpho-)phonological alternations as well as generalisations about constraints on phonological representations in terms of features, size and shapes of morphemes, tone and metrical structures. Phonology governs processes that are examined in a number of different fields of research, namely first and second language acquisition and processing and language change. Currently, each field employs different models of the sound structure of language. The overarching aim of the research is to develop a unified theory. The project is therefore interdisciplinary, involving a collaboration between the fields of theoretical phonology, historical linguistics, psycho/neurolinguistics, and language acquisition.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate for this position will contribute to the Synergy project within the Experimental Linguistics Laboratory (ELL) run by Professors Linda Wheeldon and Allison Wetterlin. The focus of this position is on adult language processing (comprehension and production) in both spoken and written modalities. The majority of the research will involve the testing of native speakers of Norwegian. A suite of cognitive and linguistic experiments will be designed to investigate the (morpho-)phonological system of Norwegian pertaining to voicing and quantity contrasts, tonal word accent, and prosody, as part of a comparative study including other Germanic languages. The research will employ eye-tracking and EEG methodologies. The Postdoctoral Research Fellow (RF) will be fully involved in the design, running, analysis and dissemination of the research. The project will support the career development of the RF by enabling the development of their research expertise in a theoretically broad and methodologically demanding project. The expectation is that the postdoctoral researcher will be the first author on several publications.

Importantly, the successful candidate will also be involved in the project as a whole. The research will be run in collaboration with Prof. Paula Fikkert (Centre for Language Studies, Radboud University) and Prof. Aditi Lahiri (Language and Brain Laboratory, Oxford University). The RF will therefore have opportunities to engage in international and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Required qualifications

• A PhD degree in Linguistics or neuro-/psycholinguistics. (Candidates must have obtained their doctorate or have submitted their doctoral thesis before the appointment decision is made and must have defended their thesis by the starting date.)
• An interest in the processing of the sound structure of languages
• Experience in the design, running and analysis of EEG experiments
• Strong data analysis skills, including mixed effects modelling
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Strong academic writing skills (academic paper(s) published or submitted)
• Strong academic presentation skills (posters or oral presentations)

Desired qualification

• Excellent spoken Norwegian or another Scandinavian language
• Organizational and teamwork skills, with a willingness to work on a larger research project in a team of researchers on an international multi-disciplinary project
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to public engagement activities

Personal qualities

• Good communication and teamwork skills, analytical mind, scientific curiosity and creativity, interest and motivation, accuracy, punctuality and attention to detail, commitment and concentration, patience, ability to work and deliver under pressure

Personal qualities and suitability for the position will be emphasised.

Further provisions relating to the positions as Post-Doctoral Research Fellows can be found in Regulations Concerning Terms and Conditions of Employment for the post of Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident.

We offer:

• professional development in a large, exciting and socially influential organisation
• a positive, inclusive and diverse working environment
• modern facilities and a comprehensive set of welfare offers
• membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 

More about working at UiA.

The position is remunerated according to the State Salary Scale, salary plan 17.510, code 1352, NOK 579 700 – 630 000 gross salary per year. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public.

General information

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply for the position, irrespective of gender, age, disability or cultural background. The University of Agder is an IW (Inclusive Workplace). Women are encouraged to apply for the position.

The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the position, and organisational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected. Appointment is made by the University of Agder’s Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for interview. With the applicant’s permission, UiA will also conduct a reference check before appointment. Read more about the employment process.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act § 25 (2), applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the names of applicants. Applicants will be advised of the University’s intention to exercise this right.

Application

The application and any necessary information about education and experience (including diplomas and certificates) are to be sent electronically. Use the link “Apply for this job”.

The following documentation must be uploaded electronically: 

• An application letter in English that addresses the desired qualifications for the position as described above
• A curriculum vitae in English, including a complete list of publications
• Certificates with grades
• Up to 5 publications or academic articles (including the Doctoral thesis)
• List of reference persons: 2–3 references to be contacted at the final stage of the application process

The applicant is fully responsible for submitting complete digital documentation before the closing date. All documentation must be available in a Scandinavian language or in English.

Application deadline: March 10, 2025

Contact

For questions about the position: 

• Professor Linda Wheeldon (linda.r.wheeldon@uia.no) and/or 
• Professor Allison Wetterlin (allison.wetterlin@uia.no)

For questions about the application process: 

• Hilde Anett Krossen (hilde.anett.krossen@uia.no)

Apply for this job