Erez Levon

The University of Bern is offering a fully funded PhD position at the Center for the Study of Language and Society (CSLS), focusing on accent bias in legal contexts. The project investigates how foreign-accented speakers are perceived in courtroom environments, combining experimental sociolinguistics, virtual reality, and quantitative analysis. The doctoral candidate will join the HUM.AI.N-ACCENT international research network, collaborating with 13 labs and 24 academic and non-academic partners across Europe, Canada, and the US. This interdisciplinary program provides training in linguistic variation, cognitive processing, social cognition, and accent perception, along with mentoring, international networking, and professional development. Candidates will gain hands-on experience in VR environments, behavioural experiments, and advanced data analysis, contributing to understanding cognitive and social mechanisms behind accent bias in both human-human and human-AI interactions. The position is fully funded under Horizon Europe / Marie Curie Grant, with a gross salary of CHF 73,733 per year, mobility allowance of CHF 7,970, and family allowance of CHF 7,409. Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Social Psychology, or a related discipline, must not have resided in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the last 36 months, and must not already hold a doctoral degree. Excellent academic English is required. Preferred qualifications include experience with sociolinguistic experiments, statistical data analysis, knowledge of cognition theories, familiarity with VR environments, willingness to travel, and teamwork skills. Applications are open immediately and close on 25 October 2025. To apply, submit a single PDF with a statement of research interests and motivation, CV, and two letters of recommendation to Prof. Erez Levon at [email protected]. Interviews will be held online in November and December 2025.