PhD Research Fellow in Linguistics at the Faculty of Humanities and Education University of Agder (UiA) in Norway

A 100% PhD Research Fellow position in linguistics is available at the University of Agder (UiA), Faculty of Humanities and Education, affiliated with the Department of Foreign Languages and Translation at Campus Kristiansand. The appointment is for three years, with a planned starting date of 1 January 2027 or as agreed with the faculty.

The position is linked to the project Category shifts, the periphery, and the structure of linguistic categories (CatS) (2026–2030). The project aims to develop a formal theory of categories, category shifts, and category boundaries by linking semantic, pragmatic, and morphosyntactic properties of shifting lexical items. The research focuses on the noun category across five languages and examines how nouns shift toward functional categories such as quantifier, how these shifts compare across categories and languages, and how nouns interact with verbs, adjectives, and prepositions.

The successful candidate will work within a project that combines generative and cognitive-functional perspectives. Applicants should therefore be familiar with at least one of these approaches and willing to engage with the other. The PhD fellow will collect and analyze data for one language selected from Norwegian, Spanish, Polish, or a classifier language such as Vietnamese, Thai, or Chinese, and will also collaborate with a research assistant on a second language in the project.

Applicants must be eligible for admission to UiA’s PhD programme in Humanities and Education. Required qualifications include a master’s degree in linguistics, language, or another relevant subject area; demonstrated experience in generative, cognitive, or functional linguistics; very good English skills; and general proficiency in at least one of the project languages. Candidates in the final stage of their master’s degree may also apply. Experience with corpora is desirable.

The position offers professional development in a large, socially influential organisation, a positive and inclusive working environment, modern facilities, and membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. The annual gross salary is NOK 550,800, with a compulsory pension contribution deducted according to current regulations.

The application must be submitted electronically via the application link. Required attachments include grade transcripts, master’s thesis, references, academic work and R&D projects with a list, a 3–5 page project description with reference list, and any other relevant documentation. All documents must be complete and submitted by the closing date, and they must be in a Scandinavian language or English. The deadline is 2026-09-01.