Fully-Funded 4-Year PhD Fellowship: the causes and consequences of individual differences in language learning in early childhood.
You cannot apply for this job anymore (deadline was 22 Feb ’24)
We invite applications for a 4-year fully-funded PhD fellowship based at the Language Development Department of the MPI for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Academic fields
Behaviour and society; Health; Natural sciences
Job types
PhD; Research, development, innovation
Education level
University graduate
Weekly hours
39 hours per week
You will conduct a project on sociogenomics (behavioral genetics) and language development. The project seeks to understand the causes and consequences of individual differences in language learning in early childhood. This is done by applying concepts derived from the Familial Control Method (van Bergen et al., 2017; Hart, Little, van Bergen, 2021) applied to a population of Dutch-acquiring children and respective family members.
The project team are: Prof Caroline Rowland (MPI for Psycholinguistics), Dr Sergio Miguel Pereira Soares (MPI for Psycholinguistics), Dr Elsje van Bergen (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) and Dr. Hans Fredrik Sunde (Norwegian Institute of Public Health).
You will also be encouraged to set up collaborations with members of the Language and Genetics Department here at MPI and/or work on data from existing cohorts to which we have access, such as that from The Netherlands Twin Register, and the YOUth Cohort Study.
Essential
Desirable
Fixed-term contract: full-time position (39 hours per week) for 4 years.
About our institute
The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics is a world-leading research institute devoted to interdisciplinary studies of the science of language and communication, including departments on genetics, psychology, development, neurobiology and multimodality of these fundamental human abilities.
We investigate how children and adults acquire their language(s), how speaking and listening happen in real time, how the brain processes language, how the human genome contributes to building a language-ready brain, how multiple modalities (as in speech, gesture and sign) shape language and its use in diverse languages and how language is related to cognition and culture, and shaped by evolution.
We are part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association of German-funded research institutes dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.
The Max Planck Society is an equal opportunities employer. We recognise the positive value of diversity and inclusion, promote equity and challenge discrimination. We aim to provide a working environment with room for differences, where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Therefore, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.
Our institute is situated on the campus of the Radboud University and has close collaborative links with the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Centre for Language Studies at Radboud University. We also work closely with other child development researchers as part of the Baby & Child Research Center.
Staff and students at the MPI have access to state-of-the art research and training facilities.
About the Language Development Department
The research of the Language Development Department focuses on how children learn to communicate with language, how the developing brain supports this process, and how it is affected by cross-linguistic, cultural and individual variation. Research broadly falls into three themes, though many projects address multiple themes:
In addition, the department’s Innovations team produces methodological primers, web- and app-based assessment tools, and pipelines for the semi-automatic analysis of day-long recordings.
About our graduate school
The International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences is a joint initiative of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and two research institutes based at Radboud University - the Centre for Language Studies and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour. The graduate school serves to bring together outstanding doctoral students from diverse disciplines in the language sciences on campus, and offer them high-quality training in an environment that both broadens their interdisciplinary experience and prepares them for fulfilling careers in the language sciences. Our education and training programme involves both core and individually chosen coursework to complement the PhD research, and training in soft skills such as writing and presentation.
Application procedure
The deadline for applications is midnight (CET) on Thursday February 22nd, 2024. Please submit your application directly via the application button.
Interviews will be held in the weeks beginning Monday 25th March and Monday 1st April. Please let us know, in your cover letter, your availability during these weeks (via Zoom).
Applications should include: