36.3438, Jobs: Pragmatics, Semantics: Post Doc, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-3438. Tue Nov 11 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.3438, Jobs: Pragmatics, Semantics: Post Doc, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

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Date: 11-Nov-2025
From: Todor Koev [tkoev at bgu.ac.il]
Subject: Pragmatics, Semantics: Post Doc, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev


Job Location: Israel
Web Address:
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/humsos/flit/pages/staffmembers.aspx?type=%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%A9%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA
Job Title: Post Doc
Job Rank: Post Doc

Minimum Education: PhD

Specialty Areas: Pragmatics; Semantics

Description:
The Department of Foreign Literatures and Linguistics at Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev invites applications for a one-year
postdoctoral research position in semantics and pragmatics. The
successful candidate will work on the project "Ingredients of Question
Bias: The Role of Answer Salience", led by Dr. Todor Koev and funded
by the Israel Science Foundation (Project #3464/25). The primary
responsibility of the postdoc will be to conduct research on the
project topic while also developing or complementing their own
research program. This is a full-time research position with no
teaching or administrative duties. Regular participation in
departmental academic activities (such as colloquia) is expected.
Project Summary:
The phenomenon of question bias involves noncanonical questions whose
utterance not only partitions the space of possibilities but also
conveys a preference for one of the possible answers. Theoretical
approaches have attributed the bias inference to various sources: the
choice of question surface form (van Rooy & Safarova 2004), the
presence of an epistemic operator (Romero & Han 2004), an implication
conventionally associated with a given question form (Malamud &
Stephenson 2015), or the reduction of the answer set to a singleton
(Guerzoni 2004). In seeking to integrate these different approaches,
the present project investigates the following components of question
bias:
- Flavor: What are the different types of question bias, and how are
they related?
- Strength: Why do some question forms convey stronger biases than
others?
- Orientation: What determines the direction (positive or negative) of
bias, particularly in cases of conflict between two bias flavors?
Requirements:
- Ph.D. in Linguistics (or a closely related field) in hand by the
first day of employment
- Strong background in formal semantics and pragmatics, and/or
experimental linguistics
- Demonstrated interest in question semantics and/or related areas
(such as question embedding, modality, focus, etc.)
Application Details:
The official application deadline is December 31, 2025, but the search
will continue until the position is filled. Application materials
should be emailed directly to tkoev at bgu.ac.il (please use the subject
line POSTDOC QUESTION BIAS). The application package must include the
following:
- Cover Letter (including the contact details of three referees)
- CV
- Research Statement
- three samples of research
Job Details:
The position will start in the spring of 2026 or shortly thereafter,
and will continue for the duration of one year. The applicant should
have defended and filed their PhD thesis by the starting date. The
project has additional funding for attending international workshops
and conferences.

Application Deadline: (Open until filled)
Mailing Address for Applications:
        Israel
Email Address for Applications: tkoev at bgu.ac.il
Application Instructions:
The application materials should be sent to the email address
mentioned above.
The position will remain open until filled.
Contact Information:
        Todor Koev
        Email: tkoev at bgu.ac.il



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