Postdoc

Toruń, Poland

The Center for Language Evolution Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher position.

The successful candidate will be employed in the project “Paths to Polysemy: Integrating Approaches to the Role of Polysemy in the Evolutionary Dynamics of Language.” (PI: Dr Michael Pleyer).

The goal of the project is to combine cognitive and experimental approaches, especially in the domain of experimental semiotics, to understand the role of polysemy in the cultural evolution of language. A special focus of the project lies on cross-cultural differences in the evolutionary paths of polysemy and meaning extension.

This is a full-time research position. The competition is open to persons who meet the conditions set out in Article 113 of the Act of 20 July 2018 - Law on higher education and science (Journal of Laws of 2018, item 1668) and the following qualification criteria:
- A PhD in Linguistics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, or a related field, obtained no earlier than 7 years before the year of employment in the project.
- Familiarity with experimental design and experience in running linguistic and behavioural experiments.
- Fluency in English, both spoken and written.
- Experience in preparing scientific reports and journal articles.

Desirable Skills:
- Experience in language evolution research, broadly conceived.
- Experience in data analysis and good coding skills.
- Strong collaborative and communication skills in an international research environment.

Description of tasks:
- Conducting research in the NCN-funded OPUS project “Paths to Polysemy: Integrating Approaches to the Role of Polysemy in the Evolutionary Dynamics of Language.” (PI: Dr Michael Pleyer)
- Participation in designing, preparing and running experiments using designs such as artificial language learning and experimental semiotics.
- Publishing research findings in peer-reviewed journals.

Employment conditions:
Employment within the framework of the National Science Centre OPUS project of the National Science Centre (2024/53/B/HS2/01366), entitled "Paths to Polysemy: Integrating Approaches to the Role of Polysemy in the Evolutionary Dynamics of Language".

Type of contract: Full-time employment

Salary: According to NCN regulations for postdoctoral positions (PLN 140,000 gross with employer costs per year)

Duration: 33 Months

Starting date: 01.05.2025

CLES: CLES is an international and interdisciplinary team conducting research on a range of linguistic and human-evolutionary phenomena. Our members come from Poland, Belarus, Czechia, Germany, Iran, Italy, Russia and Malaysia (formerly also Austria, China, Spain and Sweden), with academic backgrounds in archaeology, biology, chemistry, cognitive science, linguistics, literary studies, philosophy and psychology. Currently we are working on about 10 externally funded projects (see https://cles.umk.pl/research/ ). Our lab is located in Collegium Maius in the beautiful Old Town of Toruń. It houses state-of-the-art equipment and software, including Rokoko Motion Capture Suit SmartSuit Pro II; Varjo XR-3; EyeLink 1000 Plus; Biopac biometrics set (HRV, EDA, others); and a range of software licences including E-Prime with Chronos, LabVanced, nVivo and SPSS.

NCU Toruń: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the largest university in northern Poland, is now part of the Excellence Initiative – Research University, which is implemented at the ten best universities in Poland.

Toruń: the city of Toruń has a very strong reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in Poland – it is enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Poland. It is also the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, and a world-famous hometown of gingerbread – still manufactured to a 500-year-old recipe. Also note the affordability of Toruń when compared to the European average – e.g. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Torun.

Application via the application form.

Required documents:
- Cover letter
- Personal questionnaire for the person applying for employment (download via the application website)
- Professional curriculum vitae
- Copy of higher education diploma
- Copy of doctorate certificate
- Information about scientific, didactic and organizational achievements (abstract comprising candidate's most important areas of research, and scientific, educational, and other achievements)
- List of publications (including the publishing house/journal, year of publication, and page number)
- Declaration of consent to the processing of personal data contained in the job offer for the needs of the recruitment process, in accordance with the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of The Council od 27 April 2016 (L119/1) (download via the application website)
- Declaration under art. 113 ust. 1 ustawy Prawo o szkolnictwie wyższym (o niekaralności) (Art. Paragraph 113 (1) of the Higher Education Act (of no criminal record)) (download via the application website)
- Declaration that Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń will be my primary employer once I have won the contest (download via the application website)

More information required documents and the selection process can be found on the application website.

https://www.umk.pl/en/jobs/?task=offer&action=one&id=4667

06/03/2025

05/04/2025

0048566113511

[email protected]