This endowed chair (0.4 FTE research, 0.1 FTE teaching) is established at Utrecht University on the account of the Royal Auris Group (Koninklijke Auris Groep), a nationally operating institute for the care and education of children with hearing, speech, and language problems. The chair is embedded in the section Special Education: Cognitive and Motor Disabilities (Orthopedagogiek: Cognitieve en Motorische Ontwikkelingsproblemen) of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at Utrecht University. The chair connects the fields of clinical linguistics and psycholinguistics with special education and educational sciences, and addresses the inclusion of children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD) and other serious language learning problems in regular early childhood education and care settings and primary schools.

Research (0.4 FTE)
The chair studies how pedagogical-didactic models, learning environments, digital educational tools, and strategies of professional development can be designed and arranged to optimally support children with DLD and other serious language problems within regular, ‘inclusive’, early education and care centers, primary schools, and integrated child centers. The research of the chair will be planned and conducted in cooperation with Royal Auris Group. The chair will support the professionals working within Auris, contribute to their professional development, and make results and products of research available to them. The research tasks of the chair also include acquisition of research funds and contracts.

Teaching (0.1 FTE)
The teaching tasks concern the bachelor’s program Pedagogical Sciences and the master’s program Clinical Child, Family and Education Studies, and address the nature, causes, diagnostics and treatment of DLD and other serious language delays in inclusive early childhood education and care and primary education.

Ideally your eligibility is exemplified by:

General

• Your knowledge of, and a clear view on, the field of DLD and related or similar serious language learning problems that pertain to factors related to socioeconomic status, migration and multilingualism.
• Your knowledge of, and a clear view on, care, teaching, development, learning and professional development in early education and care and primary school contexts. 

Note: you may have relatively strong knowledge in one field that may compensate for less strong knowledge in the other field.

 Research

• Holding a PhD and by excellent research performance as apparent from high quality publications (taking into account different publication traditions in relevant disciplines), secured grants for scientific research, experience with successful supervision of PhD candidates on topics related to the field of the chair.
• Demonstrable experience with research leadership and research management.
• A network of national and international partners in collaborative research and international research consortia.
• Experience in the acquisition of research funds, grants and contracts, and has been demonstrably successful in this regard.
• Capability to develop and execute a coherent five-year program of research in collaboration with Royal Auris Group on key topics and urgent issues in the field of the chair.

Teaching

• Ample teaching experience in higher education. You are an enthusiastic teacher and supervisor to students.
• A basic (‘BKO’) or a senior qualification teaching (‘SKO’) or willingness to obtain this qualification, and excellent teaching skills as apparent from positive student evaluations.

Impact

• Demonstrable affinity with the practice fields of clinical linguistics, psycholinguistics, early education and care, special education, and/or primary education, and is able to make scientific knowledge accessible to audiences of parents, professionals and leaders in education.
• A clear interest in social issues pertaining to language problems, educational disadvantages, and children with special or additional needs, and the ambition to participate in public debates on these issues.
• The skills to communicate with important stakeholders such as parents, teachers, policymakers, politicians, and stakeholder organizations to increase the visibility and impact of the chair and the field the chair represents.

 Academic leadership

• Effective interpersonal, social and communicative, organizational and management skills.
• Skills to lead (national and international) collaborative activities in the field of the chair and to participate in relevant scientific communities.

We offer a half-time position (0.4 FTE research, 0.1 FTE teaching; in total 0.5 FTE) for a period of five years, with the intention to continue the chair for another five years thereafter. Extension of the teaching task and, thereby, the extent of the chair, can be considered. The gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience  - ranges between €5,582 and €9,812 (scale H2-H1 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year. In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive pension scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

Applicants from abroad moving to the Netherlands may be eligible for a special expense allowance scheme: the 30% facility. The Tax and Customs Administration decides whether employees meet the necessary conditions.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht city has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the Netherlands.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in Cultural Anthropology, Educational Sciences, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Pedagogical Sciences, Psychology and Sociology. The Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences plays a significant role in Utrecht University’s strategic themes Institutions for open Societies, and Dynamics of Youth.

More than 5,600 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has about 850 faculty and staff members, all contributing individually to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues.