PhD research on language use in job interviews KU Leuven in Belgium

KU Leuven is offering a PhD position in the Faculty of Arts, within the Research Unit Linguistics and the research group Multimodality, Interaction and Discourse. The project focuses on language use in job interviews and related onboarding processes, with a particular emphasis on social identity construction, indexicality, impression management, and gatekeeping in workplace interaction.

The research is situated in the context of shortage occupations in residential care centers. It studies recruitment and onboarding for roles where candidates with a migration background and an educational level up to secondary education are sought. This setting makes the project especially relevant for understanding how linguistic, interactional, and interpersonal competencies shape access to employment and the formation of professional identities.

The successful candidate will contribute to a socially relevant research project that is expected to result in conference presentations and approximately four academic articles. The topic is theoretically grounded in sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, pragmatics, and identity-focused interaction research, with broader implications for inclusive recruitment and onboarding practices.

Applicants should hold, or be close to completing, a Master’s degree in Language and Literature, Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, or a related field. Strong written and spoken Dutch and English are required, along with an interest in qualitative analysis of language use and a willingness to develop further methodological expertise. Experience with academic reading and literature review, an excellent academic record, and motivation for doctoral research are also important.

The position is offered under doctoral scholarship status with an initial one-year appointment, extendable by two years after positive evaluation. The application deadline is 23 August 2026 at 23:59 (Europe/Brussels). Interviews are scheduled for 31 August 2026. Interested candidates should apply via the KU Leuven job portal and may contact Prof. dr. Melina De Dijn or Prof. dr. Dorien Van De Mieroop for more information.