Postdoctoral Fellow in Linguistics - Cognitive Linguistics and Empirical Analysis of Russian

The positionA postdoctoral position in Linguistics with focus on Cognitive Linguistics, Construction Grammar, and empirical approaches to Russian, is available at the Department of Language and Culture, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education.The position is a fixed term position for a duration of 3 years. It is a prerequisite that the applicant can carry out the project over the full course of the employment period. No person may hold more than one fixed term position as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the same institution. The position can additionally be assigned to teaching and related work for UiT in an amount equivalent to a maximum 25 % of a full-time employment.As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, you will have the opportunity to advance your scientific career and further qualify for academic positions. If you do not already have the educational competence that meets the requirements for an Associate Professor position in Norway, UiT will arrange such competence during the employment period.The objective is to conduct original research that supports the mission of the CLEAR group and publish results (at least 4 full-sized research articles) in internationally recognized journals (ranked at level 1 or 2 in the Norwegian registry).The workplace is at UiT in Tromsø. You must be able to start in the position within a reasonable time after receiving the offer.The Department of Language and CultureThe Department of Language and Culture has a very active and diverse research profile. The Department has about 160 employees, primarily at its Tromsø campus, but also at the Alta campus. The Department has about 500 students.The Department houses one of the world’s foremost research communities in linguistics represented by Center for Language, Brain and Learning (C-LaBL). I addition, there are research groups within acquisition (AcqVA-Nor), cognitive linguistics (CLEAR), Sami language technology (Giellatekno and Divvun), and sociolinguistics, multilingualism, and revitalization (MultiNor).The Department’s research communities within literature, art history, and media and documentation studies are nationally highly competitive, and are organised into research groups such as Arctic Voices, Engaging Conflicts in a Digital Era (ENCODE), Health, Art and Society (HAS), Interdisciplinary Phenomenology (IP), Pax Slavia in FLux: European Contexts (PSIF) and Worlding Northern Art (WONA).ISK offers teaching in the following fields: linguistics, literature, art history, media and documentation studies, English, Kven, Finnish, Norwegian, Russian, Sami, Spanish, and German, as one-year programmes, as well as full Bachelor and Master programmes (including three international programmes).The department is also involved in teacher education level 8-13 and provides teaching in North Sami, Spanish, English, Nordic, Russian and German. In addition, the department is responsible for all the Sami language teaching (mother tongue and second language) at UiT. It also offers PhD programmes in linguistics, cultural/literary studies, art history, as well as media and documentation studies.The CLEAR research groupThe person hired in this position will be part of a research community with an excellent international reputation, and will also take part in ongoing research projects with extensive national and international collaborations. The candidate will be а member of the CLEAR group, and will collaborate with other members of the CLEAR research group.The CLEAR research group focuses primarily on: Cognitive Linguistics (explanation of language phenomena in terms of general cognitive strategies), Empirical Approaches (language data and its statistical analysis), and Russian (the northern language that is also a world language). CLEAR pursues empirical research in the framework of cognitive linguistics with the aim of building electronic resources that support research-based student-centered language pedagogy.The project/position's field of researchThe Topic For The Position Is Advancing New Linguistic Knowledge Based On Corpus And/or Experimental Data From The Perspectives Of Cognitive Linguistics And Construction Grammar. The Emphasis Will Be On Russian, Though Other Languages, In Particular Ukrainian And Other Slavic Languages, May Be Included. The Project Will Focus On One Or More Of These Three Specific Themes The “constructicon” as a tool for research and pedagogy: The CLEAR group has been a main driver in the development of the Russian Constructicon. We welcome further research projects based on this resource, as well as implementation of extensions of the resource, in terms of content, functionality, and applications for language pedagogy. The behavior of “rival forms” in language: Investigation of the competition between different forms that appear in the same context (cf. singular vs. plural forms in Russian clauses like осталось/остались шесть человек ‘six people remained’) has proven to be a fruitful direction for research in the CLEAR group, opening up questions about the role of variation in language, the factors associated with rivalry, and how it plays out diachronically and cross-linguistically. There are certainly many more examples of this phenomenon in addition to those that have thus far been addressed by the CLEAR group. The semantics of grammatical categories: Rather than serving merely as scaffolding for lexicon, grammatical categories such as case, aspect, number, etc. have been repeatedly found to contribute to the meanings of words and utterances. Each value of a grammatical category carries some abstract meaning, and each word has a characteristic behavior (a “grammatical profile”) in relation to the grammatical values that it attracts and repels. A multitude of further projects can build in this idea by focusing on specific categories and/or subsets of the lexicon.You must submit a project description that describes how you scientifically can contribute to the project. The applicant should also specify which topics and research questions they wish to focus on in their project description, which can be up to three pages long, including references. The proposal must include a progress plan.The applicant should specify which topics and research questions they wish to focus on in their project description, which can be up to three pages long, including references. The research themes (1-3) are wide, and together with the CLEAR research team, the successful candidate will develop a more specific topic for their project within one of these themes, with concrete research questions and relevant research methods.The Following Tasks Are Included In The PositionConduct an independent research project within the framework of this announcement, leading to 4+ significant scholarly publications.Learn relevant methods and theories to be used in the research.Participate in organising activities in the CLEAR research group, such as regular meetings, conferences, and workshops.Teach Russian and/or Ukrainian as a second language.ContactFor further information about the position, please contact Professor Laura Janda:phone: +47 77 64 56 80 email: laura.janda@uit.no Professor Tore Nessetphone: +47 77 64 56 33email: tore.nesset@uit.no Or Head Of Department Cathrine Theodorsenemail: cathrine.theodorsen@uit.no QualificationsRequired qualificationsA PhD in linguistics or another relevant field with a dissertation that analyses Russian/Slavic data, either from a Norwegian institution of higher education or a corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian doctoral degree. If you're in the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply for the position, provided that you submit parts of your dissertation along with your application. This enables the evaluation committee to assess the quality and likelihood of completion by the desired employment date. You must include a statement from your supervisor or institution stating the expected completion date for your PhD degree. Documentation of your completed PhD degree must be submitted before commencement.Good proficiency in written and spoken English. Nordic applicants can document their English capabilities by attaching their high school diploma.Good proficiency in written and spoken Russian and/or another Slavic language Desired QualificationsExcellent command of corpus linguistics and statistical analysisScholarly creativity and motivation to work in a teaIn the assessment the main emphasis will be attached to the submitted works and the project proposal for the qualifying work. Emphasis shall also be attached to experience from popularization/dissemination and academic policy and administrative activity.As teaching duties or equivalent work is attached to the position, emphasis will also be attached to teaching experience and qualifications.During The Assessment Emphasis Will Be Put On The Candidate’s Motivation, Potential For Research, And Personal Suitability For The Position. We Are Looking For Candidates WhoHave good collaboration skillsHave good communication and interaction with colleagues and studentsWants to contribute to a good working environmentAt UiT we put emphasis on the quality, relevance and significance of the research work and not on where the work is published, in accordance with the principles of The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).Inclusion and diversityUiT The Arctic University i Norway is working actively to promote equality, gender balance and diversity among employees and students, and to create an inclusive and safe working environment. We believe that inclusion and diversity is a strength, and we want employees with different competencies, professional experience, life experience and perspectives.If you have a disability, a gap in your CV or immigrant background, we encourage you to tick the box for this in your application. If there are qualified applicants, we invite least one in each group for an interview. If you get the job, we will adapt the working conditions if you need it. Apart from selecting the right candidates, we will only use the information for anonymous statistics.We offerInvolvement in an interesting research project Good career opportunities A good academic environment with dedicated colleagues  Flexible working hours and a state collective pay agreement  Pension scheme through the state pension fund Norwegian health policy aims to ensure that everyone, irrespective of their personal finances and where they live, has access to good health and care services of equal standard. As an employee you will become member of the National Insurance Scheme which also include health care services.More practical information for working and living in Norway can be found here: https://uit.no/staffmobilityApplicationPlease note that the application will only be assessed based on the information submitted by the application deadline via Jobbnorge. It is therefore important that you include all necessary documents demonstrating your qualifications for the position.Your Application Must IncludeApplication letterProject description (up to 3 pages including references) that addresses how your project will conform to and contribute to the research profile of the CLEAR groupCV (containing a complete overview of education, supervised professional training and professional work, as well as a list of publications)Diplomas and transcripts (all degrees)Documentation of English proficiencyContact information to 2-3 referencesDocumentation of teaching experience and qualifications, if availableDocumentation of educational competence, if availableA list of your academic productionDescription of your academic production, stating which works you consider most importantThe academic works (published or not) you wish us to take into consideration in the assessmentIf you're in the final stages of your PhD, you may still apply for the position, provided that you submit parts of your dissertation along with your application. This enables the evaluation committee to assess the quality and likelihood of completion by the desired employment date. You must include a statement from your supervisor or institution stating the expected completion date for your PhD degree. Documentation of your completed PhD degree must be submitted before commencement.All documentation to be considered must be in a Scandinavian language or English. If English proficiency is not documented in the application, it must be documented before starting in the position.AssessmentThe applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. The committee's mandate is to undertake an assessment of the applicants' qualifications based on the written material presented by the applicants, and the detailed description draw up for the position. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to all applicants.The applicants who are assessed as best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview should among other things, aim to clarify the applicant’s motivation and personal suitability for the position. A trial lecture may also be held.General informationThe appointment is made in accordance with State regulations and guidelines at UiT. At our website, you will find more information for applicants.The remuneration for Postdoctoral research fellow is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1352. A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted. You will become a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, which gives you many benefits in addition to a lifelong pension: You may be entitled to financial support if you become ill or disabled, your family may be entitled to financial support when you die, you become insured against occupational injury or occupational disease, and you can get good terms on a mortgage. Read more about your employee benefits at: spk.no.The successful candidate must be willing to get involved in the ongoing development of their department and the university as a whole.According to the Norwegian Freedom and Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version of this description, the Norwegian version takes precedence.Eallju - Developing the High NorthUiT The Arctic University of Norway is a multi-campus comprehensive university at the international forefront. Our vision is to be a driving force for developing the High North. The Northern Sami notion eallju, which means eagerness to work, sets the tone for this motive power at UiT. Along with students, staff and the wider community, we aim to utilise our location in Northern Norway and Sápmi, our broad and diverse research and study portfolio and interdisciplinary advantage to shape the future.Our social mission is to provide research-based education of high quality, perform artistic development and carry out research of the highest international quality standards in the entire range from basic to applied. We will convey knowledge about disciplines and contribute to innovation. Our social mission unites UiT across various studies, research fields and large geographical distances. This demands good cooperation with trade and industry and civil society as well as with international partners. We will strengthen knowledge-based and sustainable development at a regional, national and international level.Academic freedom and scientific and ethical principles form the basis for all UiT’s activities. Participation, co-determination, transparency and good processes will provide the decision-making basis we need to make wise and far-sighted priorities. Our students and staff will have the opportunity to develop their abilities and potential. Founded on academic integrity, we will be courageous, committed and generous in close contact with disciplines, people and contemporary developments.We will demonstrate adaptability and seek good and purposeful utilisation of resources, so we are ready to meet the expectations and opportunities of the future. We will strengthen the quality and impact of our disciplines and core tasks through the following three strategic priority areas.