Postdoctoral Researcher in Linguistics at the Center for the Human Past

Research will be conducted within the Linguistics section of the Department of Linguistics and Philology, Uppsala University. The research foci of this section include language description, historical linguistics and computational historical linguistics. The research environment is international, with English as the working language.

Center for the Human Past. CHP is a pioneering initiative that unites the three research areas of archaeology, genetics, and linguistics. Each discipline has accumulated significant amounts of information and developed many different research methods to analyze these. Researchers at the center will focus on bringing together these unique types of data and methods to strengthen the interdisciplinary development of the field. A central goal for the center is to train a new generation of students and doctoral candidates with skills and insights into the various theoretical models and analytical methods used across these research areas, as well as the ability to work with the databases that are under development. The aim of the center is to illuminate and understand various aspects of human development over the past 10,000 years, thereby creating a comprehensive picture of human prehistory regarding language, culture, and genetic evolution in Africa, Oceania, and Eurasia.

Duties 

We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher with a primary expertise in Linguistics who will contribute to the center's overarching goal to illuminate and understand various aspects of human development over the past 10,000 years. The postdoctoral researcher is expected to combine a variety of methodologies, including historical-comparative reconstruction, computer-based analysis methods and large databases to develop theory and method for using aggregated data from genetics, archaeology and linguistics, thereby developing innovative interdisciplinary research on human history. The postdoctoral project will illuminate various aspects of human history, at the interface between questions of genetic, culture and language evolution.

Qualification requirements 

To be eligible for appointment as a postdoctoral researcher, applicants must hold a doctoral degree, or a foreign qualification deemed equivalent, in Linguistics or a related area. The degree must have been obtained by the time the employment decision is made but must have been awarded no more than three years prior to the application deadline, unless special circumstances apply. Such circumstances may include leave due to illness, parental leave, elected positions within trade unions, or other similar situations

• The applicant should have demonstrated independence and high research quality through high-quality research publications. Very good oral and written skills in English are required.
• Being able to work independently as well as in collaboration with others is necessary. Great emphasis will be placed on personal characteristics, hence interviews and reference checking may be included in the selection process. 

Desirable/Additional qualifications

• Previous interdisciplinary studies involving Africa, Oceania, and Eurasia, or a combination of studies from these areas are desirable.
• Knowledge and skills in working with database curation and computational historical linguistics will be highly regarded. Additionally, a background in mathematics, computational methods, and statistical training will be advantageous.
• Demonstrated skills in historical linguistics pertaining to one or more language families of Africa, Oceania, and Eurasia will be highly regarded. Research experience in historical-comparative reconstruction will be advantageous.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to the principles of open science, especially regarding the production of open and reusable research data.
• Experience of working in international and interdisciplinary research contexts is desirable. 

The application should include:

• a project plan of max 3 pages (excluding references)
• a CV
• a letter describing the applicant and their qualifications, research interests, the names and contact information of at least two references and publication list
• a copy of the applicant's doctoral thesis or a draft of this
• copies of relevant degrees

About the employment

The position is temporary for two years according to the central collective agreement. The extent is full-time. The position may include teaching and supervision up to 20% of full time. Entry February 15 or according to agreement. Location: Uppsala.

Inquiries about the employment are provided by: Head of Department Dimitrios Iordanoglou, dimitrios.iordanoglou@lingfil.uu.se or Professor Harald Hammarström, +46707184339, harald.hammarstrom@lingfil.uu.se.

Welcome to submit your application by 15 December 2025, UFV-PA 2025/3380.

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