IMPRS PhD Fellowships 2025

The IMPRS for Language Sciences invites applications for TWO PhD fellowships that are funded by the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science. The goal of the scheme is to enable young researchers to pursue interdisciplinary research projects in the language sciences, supervised by leading scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and its partner institutes at the Radboud University -- the Centre for Language Studies and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour.

For the current round, the hiring departments -- Language & Genetics and Multimodal Language -- are looking to fill one position each. Please consult the project listings further below for more information.

Please refer to our website for job requirements and read more about the projects.

What we offer you

• The position is intended to begin in Sep-Oct 2025; start-date is negotiable but the candidate should be in place by the end of 2025.
• Full-time position (39 hours per week) for 4 years; part-time option negotiable.
• Salary determined according to the German TVöD (Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst) and is classified in salary group/level E13, 65% of level 1. The current gross monthly salary is approx. €3,008.69 based on full-time employment, plus a holiday bonus of 8% of the gross salary (€38,992.00 gross per year, including holiday bonus).
• 30 holidays per year, based on full-time employment; in addition, we honor the Dutch and German public holidays.
• Enrollment in a personal pension scheme to which both employer and employee pay a monthly contribution.
• Access to state-of-the art research and training facilities and a generous conference and travel budget. 
• Educational training programme provided by the International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences.
• Doctoral degree conferred by Radboud University, our partner university.

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.

About our graduate school

The IMPRS 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. Learn more here.

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.