Postdoc position in the Dutch Research Consortium ‘Language in Interaction’ (1,0 fte)

Maximum salary: € 4,654 gross/month
Vacancy number: 30.07.16
Application deadline: 24 July 2016, 23:59 CET

Responsibilities

The NWO Gravitation consortium ’Language in Interaction’ invites applications for a postdoc position: ’Developing a language test battery for young adults’.

In this position you will have the opportunity to conduct world-class research as a member of an interdisciplinary team. You will lead a project that will be part of a large-scale research programme aiming to characterize individual variation in language skills at behavioural, neurobiological and genetic levels. A crucial component of this ambitious venture is to develop a test battery for language skills that comprehensively, reliably, and efficiently assesses the core skills underlying speaking and listening. The battery should be suitable for assessing young adults (18 to 30 years) with a broad spectrum of abilities. You will play a central role in the development of this test battery.

Work environment

The Netherlands has an outstanding track record in the language sciences. The Language in Interaction consortium, sponsored by a Gravitation grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific research (NWO), brings together  excellent research groups in the Netherlands in a research programme on the foundations of language. The team consists of researchers from eight research institutions with complementary expertise in a highly interdisciplinary area of research (Radboud University, University of Amsterdam, University of Maastricht, Leiden University, Utrecht University, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Tilburg University, and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics). Excellence in the domain of language and related relevant fields of cognition is combined with state-of-the-art research facilities and a research team with ample experience in complex research methods and utilization.

You will be appointed at Radboud University. You will primarily be based at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. These two institutions conduct research in an international setting  where English is the lingua franca.

What we expect from you

Your main task will be to take the lead in developing the individual components of the test battery (e.g. tests of listening ability, lexical knowledge, pragmatics), in designing and running pilot studies to assess each component and, at a later stage, in administering the battery to a large group (1000+) of young adults. You will analyse the results using advanced statistical approaches and generate research reports and publications. Furthermore, you will liaise with other postdoctoral fellows in companion projects on variability in language learning and the biological bases of language skills. Finally, you will give guidance to the research assistants testing participants.

In order to carry out these varied and complex tasks effectively, a strong background in experimental psychology, psycholinguistics, cognitive neuroscience, or psychological diagnostics is required. In addition, you should have ample experience in planning (large-scale) studies and an excellent knowledge of statistics. You should be able to work independently and to tight deadlines and to communicate effectively with other members of the team. Given that the key task is to develop a test instrument for Dutch, native or near-native knowledge of Dutch is desirable.

What we have to offer

  • employment: 1,0 fte;
  • a maximum gross monthly salary of € 4,654 based on a 38-hour working week (salary scale 11);
  • in addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus;
  • the starting salary will depend on qualifications and experience;
  • duration of the contract: 4 years, with a trial period of 1 year;
  • starting date: preferably September 2016;
  • the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) of Dutch Universities will be applicable;;
  • you will be classified as a Researcher, Level 3 (Onderzoeker 3) in the Dutch university job-ranking system (UFO).

Would you like to know more?

Further information on this position and on how to apply can be found on: https://www.languageininteraction.nl/jobs/postdoc-position.html

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