Vacature voor doctoraatstudent Universiteit Leuven

Par EmDee — Travail personnel, CC BY 4.0

The Institute for Language and Communication at the University of Louvain (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) is looking for a PhD candidate to staff the FSR-funded project entitled: The influence of music on intelligibility and foreign accent of French speakers learning Dutch prosody

Full-time (100%) PhD scholarship
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/658621

Project description

This project focuses on the contribution of music to the production of the prosody of a foreign language. The particular aim of this research is to compare the level of intelligibility and foreign accent of French speakers in Dutch prosody production tasks, according to their musical profile (music practice or ability) and according to prosody training, whether or not based on music.

Profile

Master in linguistics or modern languages (or equivalent), with excellent results.
High interest in foreign language acquisition, in particular in the field of phonology and phonetics.
High interest in music, more specifically in the link between music and language. Personal musical training is an asset.
The capacity to work independently and as part of a team as well to collaborate more broadly with colleagues (engage in scientific dialogue, listen and think critically).
Good knowledge of Dutch (min. B2-level). Good level of academic English, both written and spoken. Knowledge of French will be considered an added value.
A strong motivation to develop and complete a PhD thesis.
Willingness to present research results at conferences and to publish in journals.

Offer

The candidate will be engaged in a 4-year full-time PhD project. The current funding is for 2 years and will need to be supplemented to enable the completion of the 4-year doctoral dissertation.
The candidate will receive a grant according to standard Belgian regulations: approximately between 2100 and 2400 EUR net/month.
S/he will be allocated office space (at UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve) and a laptop, and receive funding for research activities like attending conferences abroad.
The candidate will work on the supervision of the promoter of the project (P. Degrave) and of a support committee.
S/he will benefit from the stimulating environment of the research institute (Institute for Language and Communication).

Application

Applications for the position include:

a cover letter describing your motivation, stating why you want to do this research (in English);
a detailed CV (in English, Dutch or French) including the various qualifications and skills required, details of your academic background (degrees), and any publications and other academic and scientific experience;
a letter of reference in English, Dutch or French from one academic referee.

Students in the final year of their MA degree can also apply.

If you are interested in this position, please send your application file in electronic form to Prof. Pauline Degrave. Application deadline: 27 August 2021

Selected candidates will be invited to participate in an interview via video-conference according to the modalities that will be sent to them by e-mail. Starting date: 1 October 2021, or soon after (1 January 2022 at the latest).