Research fellow in Linguistics

We are ambitious and have a bold vision of what we want to achieve - shaping ourselves into one of the best universities in the world, which we are achieving through the talents and endeavour of every employee.  

Our culture empowers people to achieve this aim and to collectively, and individually, make a real difference.  

The role

Postdoctoral position in phonology & morphology on "Rational Evolutionary Phonology"

Prof Erich Round is seeking qualified applicants for a fully-funded two-year postdoctoral project on “REVOLUPHON: Rational Evolutionary Phonology". This postdoctoral project contributes to the core formal-theoretic and cognitive modelling components in the ERC-selected, UKRI-funded project "Rational Evolutionary Phonology", led by Erich Round in 2024–2029.

The position is based at the Surrey Morphology Group at the University of Surrey, and provides the opportunity to work in the vibrant and highly collegial research environment for which SMG is renowned.

Background

REVOLUPHON is an ambitious project in computational cognitive science, cultural evolution and phonological theory, which seeks deeper explanations for human phonology. Though phonological theories are diverse, they contain recurrent axioms and atoms: segments, features, prosodic units, et cetera. We hypothesise that these units of representation are explicable in terms of the interaction of phonetics with resource limitations on human cognition (resource rationality). Separately, recent decades show that phonologies can be reasonably well modelled as optimisation problems, with optimisation imputed to the mind. We hypothesise that apparent optimisation, and its exceptions, arise because phonologies undergo cultural evolution, an optimising process. REVOLUPHON tests these hypotheses through computational modelling of cognition and cultural evolution, to develop new foundations for phonological theory.

Responsibilities

The candidate will be a core member of a research team focused on achieving the REVOLUPHON project aims, and will participate in the broader activities both of the REVOLUPHON group and of the Surrey Morphology Group (SMG). The candidate will have opportunities at SMG to develop their research leadership profile while interacting with world-class researchers. Please refer to the full job description, under ‘Addendum’ for key responsibilities. 

About you

Suitable candidates trained in phonology and morphology are strongly encouraged to apply. Please refer to the full job description, under ‘Addendum’ for essential and desirable criteria. 

The position is full time, and the successful candidate will be required to work on-site at the University of Surrey, Guildford for three days per week.

How to apply

The following documents will be required:

• CV
• Contact details for 2 academic/industry referees.
• DOI/URL links to up to three relevant works of research.
• Research statement of one page, describing research interests and experience.

Interviews will take place on the 9th January 2025 and will be held online.

Type / Role:

Subject Area(s):

Location(s):