19.2696, Jobs: Genetic Classification: Doctoral Researcher, Heinrich-Heine U

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LINGUIST List: Vol-19-2696. Fri Sep 05 2008. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 19.2696, Jobs: Genetic Classification: Doctoral Researcher, Heinrich-Heine U

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1)
Date: 05-Sep-2008
From: Hans Geisler < geisler at phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de >
Subject: Historical Linguistics, Genetic Classification: Doctoral Researcher, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf

 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:51:24
From: Hans Geisler [geisler at phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de]
Subject: Historical Linguistics, Genetic Classification: Doctoral Researcher, Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf
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University or Organization: Heinrich-Heine University Duesseldorf 
Department: Romance Philology
Job Location: Duesseldorf, Germany 
Web Address: http://www.phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de/rom2/forschung/

Job Rank: Doctoral Researcher  

Specialty Areas: Genetic Classification; Historical Linguistics 

Required Language(s): Romance

Description:

2 positions open for researchers participating in the research unit
'Evolution and Classification in Biology, Linguistics and History of
Science' at the Heinrich-Heine-University of Düsseldorf, Germany (funded by
the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the
focus 'Interaction between natural sciences and the humanities').

Genome evolution, language evolution and the evolution of knowledge have
much in common. They entail evolving elements - genes, words, ideas - that
are mostly inherited in a vertical manner from ancestors to descendants,
but sometimes are inherited laterally. The present transdisciplinary
project aims to study the evolutionary dynamics of science, languages and
genomes using methods from the field of molecular evolution and
incorporating network methods. Current applications for phylogenetic
reconstruction operate mostly in the realm of bifurcating phylogenetic
trees, which are used to model acquisition by inheritance only. However,
genes in microbial genomes can also be acquired laterally, while words can
be borrowed between different languages and knowledge can be transferred
across disciplinary or cultural boundaries. Phylogenetic trees cannot
easily be used to model such lateral transfers, but network approaches can.

The project includes 1) the clarification of evolutionary concepts in
biology, linguistics, and in the history of science, 2) the development of
methods for coding and modelling lateral transfer in biology, linguistics,
and science, and 3) the analysis and characterization of evolution by
lateral acquisition in general. 

Applicants should have good English communication and writing skills. Basic
computing skills and aptitude in interdisciplinary research are required.
Payment will be according to German public service pay scale. The positions
are funded by the BMBF for a minimum of two years and expected to be filled
by the end of 2008, but the positions remain open until filled; reviewing
of applications begins immediately.

Applicants should hold a master's degree or equivalent in Comparative
Linguistics (with an emphasis on historical linguistics, preferred
Indo-European and Romance languages).

Interested candidates should send a CV and contact information of one
potential referee as a single PDF file to Prof. Dr. Hans Geisler.


Application Deadline:  (Open until filled)
	  
Email Address for Applications: geisler at phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de 
Contact Information:
	Prof. Dr. Hans Geisler 
	Email: geisler at phil-fak.uni-duesseldorf.de 
	Phone: 0492118112984 
	Fax: 0492118114033 





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