Assistant Professor Position in (Neuro)Linguistics with a Focus on Multilingualism | University of Amsterdam

The Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC) invites applications for a Assistant Professor position at the Faculty of Humanities, tenable from 1 August 2020 (1 FTE). Deadline for applications is 1 April 2020.

Job Description

The successful candidate will be a member of the ACLC and is expected to initiate inter-group collaborative research and grant applications which are necessary for recruiting talented junior researchers (e.g., PhDs, Postdocs). Further collaborations with the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC), and the Amsterdam Brain and Cognition (ABC) are also expected.

With regard to teaching, the successful candidate will  improve, and when necessary, develop (new) research-related courses that fit in the teaching of BA and MA programmes related to English Linguistics and to General Linguistics, and possibly to other language and cognition programmes, such as the Bachelor Cognition, Language and Communication, or the Research Master Brain & Cognitive Sciences.

Tasks:

• Develop (neuro)linguistic work within the theme of the ACLC mission: Constraints on Variation, and with a focus on issues of multilingualism;
• initiate collaborative interdisciplinary work within the ACLC and beyond (e.g. ILLC, ABC) that will lead to grant applications;
• publish in high standard scientific journals, books, as well as other relevant output venues;
• initiate research impact strategies and socially relevant activities;
• develop and strengthen courses on lab techniques e.g., EEG/ERP, eye-tracking;
• co-supervise PhD candidates;
• teach BA and MA courses in the relevant affiliated programmes, in particular in the Linguistics and English programmes;
• (co)supervise BA and MA theses;
• broad teaching skills, relevant to multiple departments in the Faculty of Humanities;
• work with team members to maintain and improve relevant teaching programmes;
• take on administrative duties related to the programmes (e.g., programme coordinator, programme committee, examination board).

Requirements

The ideal candidate is a (neuro)linguist, that is, a scholar of the study of language and communication (including visual and multimodal communication) whose research draws on multifaceted methods from, for instance, neuroscience, (psycho)linguistics, or cognitive science, who demonstrates remarkable skills in lab techniques, such as EEG and eye-tracking, and has a strong interest in issues of multilingualism, language variation, and the constraints applying to it. S/he has a proven track record in internationally-leading research and teaching, and should be willing to develop new methodologies and techniques within ACLC. The candidate is expected to play a prominent role in training junior scholars within the ACLC and the relevant teaching programmes, and to participate actively in the coordination of BA and rMA teaching programmes. Furthermore, the candidate is expected to take on administrative tasks related to teaching and/or research. More detailed requirements are listed below:

• a relevant PhD (e.g., in neuroscience, linguistics, cognitive science);
• at least two years of postdoctoral (or equivalent) research experience by the application date;
• a proven track record of lab-skills (e.g., EEG/ERP, eye-tracking);
• experience and expertise in applying lab methods to answering fundamental research questions;
• experience and expertise in (neuro)linguistics, and ability to teach related topics at the BA and MA levels (relevant programmes are General Linguistics, Cognition, Language, and Communication, English Linguistics);
• international recognition as demonstrated by a record of peer-reviewed publications, (keynotes) presentations at international conferences, research management, and socially relevant activities;
• track-record of research funding, appropriate to the career stage of the applicant;
• experienced team-worker;
• great capacity in linking research to teaching and broad societal questions;
• strong organizational and cooperation skills;
• proven research- and/or teaching-related administrative experience;
• wide experience of different forms and levels of delivering university teaching, at BA and MA level;
• broad teaching skills, relevant to multiple teaching programmes in the Faculty of Humanities;
• experience with PhD (co)supervision and/or PhD examination would be an asset;
• the Dutch University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO), or willingness to acquire this within the first two years;
• teaching and admin duties require native or near-native fluency in Dutch and English; appointments are subject to the candidate’s proficiency in both, or their undertaking to acquire thorough knowledge of Dutch and English as speedily as possible; non-native Dutch speakers must achieve an active and passive command of Dutch within two years. Passing the state examination for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2), programme II, is a prerequisite for a permanent employment contract.

Further Information

More information can be found here or contact: Prof. Jeannette Schaeffer, Chair of the Department of Literary Studies and Linguistics.