PhD candidate, Dutch morphology and constructicography Leiden University in Netherlands

Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL), part of the Faculty of Humanities at Leiden University, invites applications for a fully funded PhD position in Dutch morphology and constructicography. The project is embedded in the NWO-funded initiative The Morphicon: A new gateway to morphological knowledge, which aims to develop the first morphological constructicon (“Morphicon”) for Dutch. The selected PhD candidate will work in a small team with the project PI and a postdoctoral researcher, in collaboration with the Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal.

The core research goal is to transform existing lexicographic and grammatical resources into a digital network of Dutch lexical constructions and grammatical constructions, linked by shared properties. The PhD will contribute both to team-wide resource building and to an individual research project on the relationship between grammatical regularity and lexical idiosyncrasy in morphological constructions. This includes examining selected constructional families in depth, assessing how much idiosyncrasy exists within them, and investigating the interaction between regular word-formation patterns and lexically specific exceptions.

In addition to the linguistic analysis, the position involves extracting word-formation patterns from the literature, encoding them as constructional schemas, matching complex words to schemas and subschemas, and helping annotate and structure the resulting inventory as a network. The project also explicitly mentions exploring, testing, and evaluating digital tools, including LLMs, to support classification, annotation, and network building. The candidate will present research at workshops and conferences, publish joint work, write a PhD thesis within the appointment period, and contribute to teaching and dissemination activities.

Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in linguistics by the start date. The project is looking for someone with a strong interest in grammar, especially morphology, from a descriptive and/or theoretical perspective, along with native or near-native Dutch and good academic English. Excellent research and analytical skills are required, and experience in computational linguistics or an affinity with Construction Grammar is considered an advantage.

The position is a four-year PhD appointment under the Dutch Universities collective labour agreement. The first contract lasts 12 months and is extendable for a further 36 months subject to satisfactory performance and compatibility. The salary ranges from €3,204 gross per month in the first year to €4,051 gross per month in the fourth year, plus holiday and year-end allowances. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax benefit. The expected start date is January 2027, though a later start can be negotiated.

Applications must be submitted by 1 November 2026 through the university application system. Required materials include a cover letter explaining motivation, a full academic CV, transcripts of Bachelor and Master modules, a writing sample preferably related to the topic, and the names and email addresses of two referees, including the applicant’s MA thesis supervisor(s). Interviews are planned for the second half of November 2026.

Leiden University describes LUCL as a strong and internationally oriented research environment with extensive support for researchers. The Faculty of Humanities offers a broad scholarly setting for language-focused research, and the project sits within the university’s ongoing commitment to academic excellence and inclusive research and teaching.