Workplace and research area

Lund University announces a two-year fulltime postdoc position in second language acquisition with a focus on different aspects of the psychology of language learning. The position is connected to the research platform Language Acquisition, Multilingualism, and Teaching (LAMiNATE), and is located at the Centre for Languages and Literature, division of English, Lund University.

LAMiNATE is a cross-disciplinary interdepartmental research platform dedicated to all areas of language acquisition, multilingualism, and language teaching/assessment. It brings together approximately 40 researchers. Research in the platform covers language acquisition and language processing (first, second and multilingual); multimodal language processing and learning; developmental language disorders; educational linguistics and language teaching, testing and assessment; and language, learning and the brain.

The division of English, located within the Centre for Languages and Literature is an international workplace with expertise in and ongoing research on a range of topics and linguistic domains. Several ongoing projects are related to acquisition and multilingualism. Further information can be found here: Research in English Studies | Centre for Languages and Literature.

What we offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that you receive specific benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension. Read more about being employed at Lund University here: Work at Lund University | Lund University.

The appointment is limited to two years and is full time in accordance with the Agreement regarding fixed-term employment as a postdoctoral fellow, collective agreement made between Swedish Agency for Government Employers and OFR/S, Saco-S.

Work duties and areas of responsibility

As a successful candidate, you are expected to

• develop a research project in collaboration with researchers in the LAMiNATE research environment on the topic of aspects of the psychology of language learning and which is based on experimental techniques;
• design experimental studies and analyse data using appropriate statistics;
• publish in international journals, and participate in and present at international conferences in relevant fields;
• participate in LAMiNATE’s activities including talk series/seminars, outreach events, etc.

Teaching, supervision and other teaching-related duties may be involved within the framework of the position, but for not more than 20% of working hours.

Qualifications

As a successful candidate you must have

• a completed Ph.D. degree or an international degree deemed equivalent in Applied linguistics, (Educational) Psychology or a related discipline*
• documented experience of experimental research in the psychology of language, and of advanced statistical analyses of quantitative data;
• a documented strong command of English

*This requirement must be fulfilled no later than the date when the employment decision is made, and as an applicant, you are responsible for supplementing your application with documentation that confirms the completed doctoral degree if such documentation was not already part of your application. The supplement should be emailed to Head of Section Fabian Beijer (for email address, see the University website: Fabian Beijer | Centre for Languages and Literature). The position is a career development post, and its purpose is to act as an initial step on a career path. The candidate most likely to come into question is one who has completed a doctoral degree no more than three years prior to the application deadline. If there are special circumstances such as leave of absence because of illness, parental leave, position as elected representative in trade union organisations, military service or service/assignments relevant to the subject area, this time can be deducted from the time elapsed since the doctoral degree was completed.

Specific qualifications of additional merit  

• documented experience of research on second language acquisition
• documented experience of programming

Assessment criteria

• good ability to develop and carry out high-quality research
• teaching skills

The main criterion for a postdoctoral fellowship is research expertise. If you have undergone teaching and learning in higher education training equivalent to two weeks in accordance with the Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions’ recommendations, you are deemed to have teaching skills. If the person appointed does not possess this, or equivalent training, and if teaching is part of the work duties, such training is to be offered within the framework of the position.

How to apply

The application should be written in English must include:

• A CV and copy of the Ph.D. degree.
• A list of publications (including DOI, ISBN or ISSN numbers).
• A research plan of no more than 1500 words (not including list of references) outlining the details of the project the candidate intends to conduct.

The research plan is to contain a description of:

• Aim and research question.
• Theory and method.
• Relation to the international research front including the most important international work in the field of research.
• The applicant’s qualifications and competence to conduct the project.

Only applicants whose research plan and earlier work fulfill the requirements will be considered for employment as a postdoc.