Postdoctoral Research Fellow connected to "ICONIC"

UiO/Anders Lien
31st May 2025
Languages
English

• Norsk Bokmål
• English

English

Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies

Postdoctoral Research Fellow connected to "ICONIC"
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About the position 

A 3-year Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (SKO 1352) connected to the NFR-funded research project  ICONIC - The Emergence and Stabilisation of Iconicity in Human Speech  is available at the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies , University of Oslo.

ICONIC aims at understanding how iconicity, i.e. the perceived resemblance of form and meaning of words, evolves through cultural evolution over time. The project uses a combination of iterated learning experiments, acoustic analyses and iconicity rating experiments. Acoustic recordings of individual speech transmission outcomes allow us to measure which combinations of acoustic features speakers use to express size-based iconic relationships, including acoustic dimensions such as vowel quality, voice quality, and pitch. After defining the acoustic profile of iconicity, ICONIC will explore and quantify the (in)stability of iconic form-meaning pairs across generations to experimentally probe the hypothesis that iconic form-meaning pairs are robust to change. This empirical approach will not only shed new light on the evolution of words, but it will also serve as the first proof of concept of how we can harness experimental innovations to explore questions related to sound change in the laboratory.

The ICONIC team is led by Professor Timo B. Roettger and will be comprised of one postdoctoral fellow (3 years), one PhD student (3 years), and two research affiliates from the University of Birmingham (Dr. Marcus Perlman and Dr. Bodo Winter).

All project activities will be conducted in English. 

More about the position

The postdoctoral fellow will be a full member of the team aiming at successfully completing the project’s goals. The candidate will help coordinating data collection for the iterative learning experiments in the laboratory and iconicity rating experiments through crow-sourcing online. Moreover, the candidate will set up data analysis pipelines for the analysis of the data. The candidate is expected to methodological engage with previous empirical literature on iconicity and iterated learning experiments. The candidate will help train the PhD candidate and train and supervise research assistants. 

The position is available for a period of 3 years. There is a 10 % component of the position which is devoted to teaching and administrative duties.

UiO/ Anders Lien via Unsplash UiO/ Anders Lien
Qualification requirements

• A PhD degree in linguistics or a related behavioural science (including psychology, neuroscience, primatology, computer science, philosophy, sociology) - The doctoral dissertation must have been submitted for evaluation by the closing application date. Appointment is dependent on the dissertation and public defence of the doctoral dissertation being approved. 
• Capacity for independent academic research, and relevant methodological experience, documented through publications in international scientific journals. 
• Outstanding written and oral proficiency in English. 
• Excellent communication and collaborative skills.
• Documented experience with designing experimental studies and analysing quantitative data. 
• Proficiency in either R or Python.

Favourable qualifications (not requirements, but give applicants an advantage):

• Relevant administrative and organisational skills.
• Experience with acoustic analyses.
• Experience with crowd-sourcing experiments online.
• Experience with open science practices including reproducible workflows.
• High ambitions and independency. 
• Emphasis is also given to personal suitability.

 

How to apply 

The application must include:

• A motivation letter demonstrating how your interests and qualifications can contribute to the project.
• Complete CV (including educational background, professional positions held, list of publications, services, teaching, if applicable)
• Copies of academic diplomas and certificates. Diplomas, transcripts and diploma supplements that are not in a Scandinavian language or English must be uploaded in the original language. An English translation of these documents must also be attached.
• Names and contact details for two references, one of them the supervisor on your PhD thesis (we do not need reference letters, only their contact details).

Please note that the motivation letter and the complete CV must be in English. All the other documents must be in English or in a Scandinavian language.  

Educational certificates, master theses and the like are not to be submitted with the application, but applicants may be asked to submit such information or works later.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, jobbnorge.no.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for an interview that will be conducted in English. 

General information

See also Regulations concerning Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships.

Following the Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) § 25, Chapter 2, information about the applicant may be used in the public list of applicants even if the applicant opts out from the entry in the public application list.

No one can be appointed for more than one Postdoctoral Fellow period at the University of Oslo.

The University of Oslo has an Acquisition of Rights Agreement for the purpose of securing rights to intellectual property created by its employees, including research results.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

via Unsplash
University of Oslo

The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest ranked educational and research institution, with 28 000 students and 7000 employees. With its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally recognised research communities, UiO is an important contributor to society.

The Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies (ILN) is one of seven departments at The Faculty of Humanities (HF). The department conducts research, teaching and dissemination in general linguistics, Nordic languages (Scandinavian linguistics and Norwegian as a second language), multilingualism, medieval studies (Norse philology and Celtic), Nordic literature (including dissemination of literature and Ibsen-studies), and rhetoric and verbal communication. The Department hosts a socio-cognitive laboratory offering powerful equipment for various types of experiments and studies
 

Questions about the position

Timo Roettger

Professor

timo.roettger@iln.uio.no

Tonje Olsen

HR Adviser

t.n.olsen@hf.uio.no

Apply for this job
Deadline

31st May 2025

Employer

University of Oslo

Municipality

Oslo

Scope

Fulltime (1 positions) Fulltime (%)

Duration

Fixed Term

Place of service
Boks 1072 Blindern, 0316 Oslo

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