36.663, Jobs: Dutch, Engdewu; Linguistic Theories: Postdoc Position: Creating a Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery at the Centre for Language Studies, Radboud Universiteit

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-663. Thu Feb 20 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.663, Jobs: Dutch, Engdewu; Linguistic Theories: Postdoc Position: Creating a Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery at the Centre for Language Studies, Radboud Universiteit

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Date: 20-Feb-2025
From: Radboud Universiteit [backoffice at adver-online.nl]
Subject: Dutch, Engdewu; Linguistic Theories: Postdoc Position: Creating a Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery at the Centre for Language Studies, Radboud Universiteit


Job Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Web Address: http://www.ru.nl/
Job Title: Postdoc Position: Creating a Prosodic Proficiency Test
Battery at the Centre for Language Studies
Job Rank: Post Doc

Specialty Areas: Linguistic Theories

Specialty Language(s): Dutch (nld)
                       Engdewu (ngr)

Description:
Postdoc Position: Creating a Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery at the
Centre for Language Studies
Are you passionate about understanding how people produce word stress,
intonation and rhythm in English? Do you thrive on tackling complex
challenges through advanced programming? If so, this postdoctoral
position in the NWO-funded project ‘It’s not what you say, it’s how
you say it: Creating a Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery’ offers a
rare and exciting opportunity to make a tangible impact on the future
of language learning, teaching and research.
In this project, you will work together with Dr Lieke van Maastricht
(principal investigator) and a research assistant to develop and
validate the first-ever open-access online tool for assessing prosodic
proficiency. This innovative tool will transform how language
learners, teachers, clinicians and researchers evaluate and improve
critical aspects of spoken language—rhythm, stress and
intonation—which are essential for clear communication and effective
second-language acquisition.
Why this project matters: Accurate prosody is key to reducing foreign
accents, avoiding social stigma, and enhancing mutual understanding
between speakers of different languages. Despite its importance, there
is currently no efficient way to assess prosodic features in language
education, clinical practice or research. This project will address
this gap by creating the Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery —a
comprehensive tool that provides rapid, automatic assessment of
prosodic accuracy. Using this tool, learners can track their progress,
teachers can tailor their instruction, and researchers can explore new
dimensions of language development.
What this project entails: This project seeks to combine knowledge
from the fields of linguistics, computational modelling and AI to
attain two objectives:
1. To create the stimuli for the Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery and
perform a pilot study to determine which automatic labelling tools for
prosodic annotation are most suitable for the test.
2. To run a large-scale study to collect foreign-language proficiency
data to assess the validity and reliability of the test items in the
Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery.
Your role: As a postdoctoral researcher, you will take the lead in
designing experiments, assessing the suitability of automatic
annotation tools, conducting the large-scale study to test the
validity and reliability of the Prosodic Proficiency Test Battery, and
co-supervising the research assistant who will help execute the
experiments. You will present your work at international conferences
and publish your findings in scientific journals and/or at
conferences.
Why this is a unique opportunity: This position offers a rare chance
to work on a pioneering project that blends linguistics, AI, and
language learning. Not only will you contribute to a tool with
real-world applications, but you will also collaborate with prosody
experts in the field, giving you the opportunity to contribute to the
future of language education and research. Whether you are passionate
about advancing theoretical knowledge or developing practical
solutions for language learners worldwide, this project provides a
platform to make a meaningful difference.
You can find more information about this project here or by contacting
Dr Lieke van Maastricht (please see contact details below).
Profile
- You should hold a PhD degree in linguistics, cognitive science,
psychology, AI, psycholinguistics, or a related field.
- You enjoy reading and writing code and have demonstrable programming
experience, for example in Python, C++, Matlab, Java, and/or HTML/CSS.
- You are a creative, critical and independent researcher who is
motivated to take initiative when needed.
- You are a team player who not only provides constructive feedback
but is also happy to receive it, who supports others, and who is keen
to engage in scientific discussions.
- You enjoy supervising students.
- You are able to contribute to a collaborative work environment based
on transparent communication and a positive and respectful attitude
towards supervisors, colleagues and students.
- You have an excellent command of English (both spoken and written)
and you have a good publication record.
- You possess excellent time management and organisational skills.
- Ideally, you also have expertise and hands-on research experience in
prosody research, good skills in preparing and analysing
speech-elicitation experiments, and demonstrable experience with R and
Praat.
You will be part of the Speech Production and Comprehension group,
which is part of the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) within the
Faculty of Arts of Radboud University. There are collaborative links
to other research groups at the Nijmegen campus, including the SPRINT
group (PI: Amalia Arvaniti) at CLS, the Speech Perception in
Audiovisual Communication group (PI: Hans Rutger Bosker) at the
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, and the
Individual Differences in Language Skills group (PI: Antje Meyer) at
the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. You can also benefit
from the presence of a large and active Artificial Intelligence
department at the Faculty of Social Sciences. In sum, you will be part
of an exceptionally rich environment for research on language and
speech. CLS aims to contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive
world, which is why we especially seek applications from candidates
who bring diverse perspectives, backgrounds and skills that will be
assets in research and teaching. English is the lingua franca at the
Institute.
Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We
achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing
high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering
collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we
contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal
opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more
colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for
answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees
with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also
contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to
play.
If you want to learn more about working at Radboud University, follow
our Instagram account and read stories from our colleagues.
Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is committed to the development of knowledge with
a strong scientific and social impact. With over 500 academic and
support staff, we teach and conduct research in the fields of art,
history, language, culture and communication, using innovative
methodologies and collaborating closely across disciplines. Our
research is embedded in two research institutes: the Centre for
Language Studies (CLS) and the Radboud Institute for Culture & History
(RICH). Approximately 2,500 students are currently enrolled with us
across our three departments: the Department of History, Art History
and Classics, the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures and the
Department of Language and Communication. The faculty is characterised
by a pleasant and open culture with various opportunities for the
professional development of our staff.
We offer
- Your salary within salary scale 11 depends on your previous
education and number of years of (relevant) work experience. If you
have not yet defended your PhD at the start of the contract you will
start in salary scale 10. The amounts in the scale are based on a
38-hour working week.
- Depending on the researcher's salary, any configuration between 0,5
FTE for a year and 1,0 FTE for half a year is possible and will be
decided on between you and the project principal investigator.
- You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year
bonus.
- You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can
choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory
20.
Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud
University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this.
You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with
flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from
home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions
yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and
receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you
receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at
Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good
pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to
develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide
various training and development schemes.
Practical information and applying
You can apply only via the Apply now button on the page at the link
provided. Address your letter of application to Dr. Lieke van
Maastricht. In the application form, you will find which documents you
need to include with your application.
The first interviews will take place on Wednesday 5 March 2025. Any
second interview will take place on Thursday 13 March. You will
preferably start your employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It
describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how
we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If
you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU
nationality, please take notice of the following information.

Application Deadline: (Open until filled)
Web Address for Applications:
https://link.inhroffice.com/4176c373-bdb6-4005-9dba-bdfbe5e2e0bf
Contact Information:
        Adver-Online B.V.
        Email: backoffice at adver-online.nl
        Phone: 0235530350



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