About the position

A fixed-term 100 % position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Humanities and Education, as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow affiliated to the Department of Foreign Languages and Translation, for a period of three years. The position is located at the University of Agder’s Kristiansand campus. The starting date is the 1st of October 2020. About the Faculty: https://www.uia.no/en/about-uia/faculties/faculty-of-humanities-and-education

University of Agder

The University of Agder has more than 1400 employees and 13 000 students. This makes us one of the largest workplaces in Southern Norway. Our staff research, teach and disseminate knowledge from a variety of academic fields. Co-creation of knowledge is our common vision. We offer a broad range of study programmes in many fields. We are situated at two modern campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad respectively.

We are an open and inclusive university marked by a culture of cooperation. The aim of the university is to further develop education and research at a high international level.

The position is linked to a research project funded by the Norwegian Research Council entitled Fitness, Ageing and Bilingualism (FAB) 2020-2023: The benefits of regular physical activity and bilingualism for language abilities in healthy ageing. This international project is a collaboration between the Universities of Agder in Norway and Birmingham in the U.K. The project is also interdisciplinary, involving a collaboration between the fields of psycholinguistics and health sciences.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be based at UiA in Kristiansand and work with Professors Linda Wheeldon and Allison Wetterlin. The postdoctoral researcher will have responsibility for running the experiments on bilinguals in Norway and will work primarily within the Experimental Linguistics Laboratory (ELL https://ell.uia.no and https://www.uia.no/en/research/humaniora-og-pedagogikk/experimental-linguistics).

The aim of the project is to investigate language function in normal, healthy ageing. The project will investigate two factors that might ameliorate cognitive decline in older adults: speaking a second language and regular physical exercise. The project will compare the cognitive function of young and older English monolinguals and Norwegian-English bilinguals and relate it to key aspects of language use and language proficiency. The project will also run a physical activity intervention with older adults to determine the benefits associated with increased cardiovascular fitness for mono- and bilinguals.

The experiments on bilinguals will involve testing a group of young and a group of older Norwegian-English bilinguals, on a suite of cognitive and linguistic tasks designed to measure the decline in cognitive function in bilinguals due to healthy ageing. The Postdoctoral Research Fellow (RF) will be fully involved in the design, running, analysis and dissemination of the research. The expectation is that the postdoctoral researcher will be the first author on several publications.

Required qualifications

• A PhD degree in psycholinguistics or experimental psychology
• (Candidates must have obtained their doctorate or have submitted their doctoral thesis before the appointment decision is made and must have defended their thesis by the starting date)
• Interest in psycholinguistics and/or cognitive changes due to healthy ageing, bilingualism, ageing research and physical exercise research
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Strong data analysis skills, including mixed effects modelling in R
• Extensive experience with experimental design and statistical analysis
• Strong academic writing skills (academic paper(s) published or submitted)
• Strong academic presentations skills (posters or oral presentations)

Further provisions relating to the positions as Post-Doctoral Research Fellows can be found in the Regulations Concerning Terms and Conditions of Employment for the post of Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident.

Desired qualifications

• Organisational and teamwork skills, with a willingness to work on a larger research project in a team of researchers on an international multi-disciplinary project
• Documented research publications beyond the doctoral thesis experience from externally financed research projects (including writing applications and implementing projects)
• Understanding of and ability to contribute to public engagement activities
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Strong organisational and time-management skills

Personal qualities

• Good communication and teamwork skills, analytical mind, scientific curiosity and creativity, interest and motivation, accuracy, punctuality and attention to detail, commitment and concentration, patience, ability to work and deliver under pressure.

Personal qualities and suitability for the position will be emphasised.

We offer

• professional development in a large, exciting and socially influential organisation
• a positive, inclusive and diverse working environment
• modern facilities and a comprehensive set of welfare offers
• membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

More about working at UiA

The position is remunerated according to the State Salary Scale, salary plan 17.510, code 1352, NOK 552 800 – 573 100 gross salary per year. Higher salary grades may be considered for particularly well-qualified applicants. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the pay according to current statutory provisions.

General information

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply for the position, irrespective of gender, age, disability or cultural background. The University of Agder is an IW (Inclusive Workplace).

Women are encouraged to apply for the position.

The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the position, and organisational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected. The appointment is made by the University of Agder’s Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview. With the applicant’s permission, UiA will also conduct a reference check before appointment. Read more about the employment process.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act § 25 (2), applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the names of applicants. Applicants will be advised of the University’s intention to exercise this right.

Application

The application and any necessary information about education and experience (including diplomas and certificates) are to be sent electronically. Use the link “Apply for this job”.

The following documentation must be uploaded electronically:

• An application letter in English that addresses the desired qualifications for the position as described above
• A curriculum vitae in English, including a complete list of publications
• Certificates with grades
• Up to 5 publications or academic articles (including the Doctoral thesis)
• List of reference persons: 2–3 references to be contacted at the final stage of the application process

The applicant is fully responsible for submitting complete digital documentation before the closing date. All documentation must be available in a Scandinavian language or in English.

Application deadline: 15th of April 2020

Contact

For questions about the position:

• Professor Linda Wheeldon linda.r.wheeldon@uia.no

For questions about the application process: Head of Department Tale M. Guldal tale.guldal@uia.no

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