Doctoral researcher in Linguistics in the domain of Portuguese as heritage language in Luxembourg

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character. The University was founded in 2003 and counts more than 6,700 students and more than 2,000 employees from around the world. The University’s faculties and interdisciplinary centres focus on research in the areas of Computer Science and ICT Security, Materials Science, European and International Law, Finance and Financial Innovation, Education, Contemporary and Digital History. In addition, the University focuses on cross-disciplinary research in the areas of Data Modelling and Simulation as well as Health and System Biomedicine. Times Higher Education ranks the University of Luxembourg #3 worldwide for its “international outlook,” #20 in the Young University Ranking 2021 and among the top 250 universities worldwide. 

The Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) brings together expertise from the humanities, linguistics, cognitive sciences, social and educational sciences. People from across 20 disciplines are working within the Faculty. Along with the disciplinary approach a very ambitious interdisciplinary research culture has been developed.

The faculty’s research and teaching focuses on social, economic, political and educational issues with the common goal of contributing to an inclusive, open and resourceful society. The FHSE offers six Bachelor and twenty Master degrees and a doctoral school providing students with the necessary knowledge and high-qualified skills to succeed in their future career.

Your Role...

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Constanze Weth, the doctoral researcher will conduct research on Portuguese as a heritage language in Luxembourg with a focus on written Portuguese in contact with French, Luxembourgish and German.

The doctoral researcher will conduct research under the guidance of a supervisory team including local and international experts, with the aim of studying towards a doctoral degree (cumulative, i.e., based on peer-reviewed publications) in Linguistics.

The doctoral researcher will build up a corpus of written data in Portuguese and the contact languages in Luxembourg, French, Luxembourgish, and German. The researcher will analyze the data with a focus on grammar and spelling. The research project includes the collection and analysis of experimental data.

The PhD project is embedded in a larger project at the intersection of grammar and spelling.

What we expect from you…

• Master in linguistics, language education or psychology
• Competence in language variation, heritage language, written language
• Competence in corpus linguistics is a plus
• Competence in statistics is a plus
• Excellent oral and written competences in Portuguese
• Excellent oral and written competences in French and / or German and good competences in the respective other language
• Excellent written competences in English are a plus
• The willingness to learn Luxembourgish

In Short...

• Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract 36 Month (extendable up to 48 months if required)
• Work Hours: Full Time 40.0 Hours per Week
• Starting date: April 2023
• Location: Belval
• Employee and student status
• Job Reference: UOL05471

The yearly gross salary for every PhD at the UL is EUR 38028 (full time)

How to apply...

Applications should be submitted online and include:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Cover letter
• Copy of diplomas

Early application is highly encouraged, as the applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply formally through the HR system. Applications by email will not be considered.

The University of Luxembourg embraces inclusion and diversity as key values. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

Here’s what awaits you at the University

• Multilingual and international character. Modern institution with a personal atmosphere. Staff coming from 90 countries. Member of the “University of the Greater Region” (UniGR). 
• A modern and dynamic university. High-quality equipment. Close ties to the business world and to the Luxembourg labour market. A unique urban site with excellent infrastructure.
• A partner for society and industry. Cooperation with European institutions, innovative companies, the Financial Centre and with numerous non-academic partners such as ministries, local governments, associations, NGOs …
• Find out more about the University
• Addresses, maps & routes to the various sites of the University

Further information...

For further questions, please contact Prof. Dr Constanze Weth

Tel.: (+352) 46 66 44 9284 / Email: constanze.weth@uni.lu