Doctoral position in project A08 (f/m/x) CRC 1252 | Prominence in Language - Köln

Doctoral position in project A08 (f/m/x)

CRC 1252 | Prominence in Language

We are one of the largest and oldest universities in Europe and one of the most important employers in our region. Our broad range of subjects, the dynamic development of our main research areas and our central location in Cologne make us attractive for students and researchers from around the world. We offer a wide range of career opportunities in science, technology, and administration.

The Cologne-based Collaborative Research Centre 1252 “Prominence in Language” is a dynamic research environment with 21 research projects in linguistics and related fields. Our vision is to investigate prominence relations in larger discourse segments and dialogue. More information can be found here: https://sfb1252.uni-koeln.de/en/ Project A08 “The Role of Pauses in Prominence Marking” investigates how pauses function as cues to prosodic prominence in German and French. As pauses are still an under-studied aspect of prosodic prominence, we will first analyze production data from longer monologues and spontaneous dialogues to establish whether and how pauses co-occur with prosodic prominence. In addition, we will test the relevance of pauses for the perception of prominence.

YOUR TASKS

• Conduct research on prominence in language
• Analyze data from speech corpora and perception experiments
• Visualize and statistically evaluate the data
• Design and run perception experiments in Germany and France
• Present the project results at international conferences and in academic journals

YOUR PROFILE

• Excellent academic record
• Master’s degree in linguistics, phonetics, or a related field
• Familiarity with research in experimental phonetics or phonology
• Experience with annotation software, e.g., Praat or ELAN
• Experience with basic statistical methods
• Basic programming skills
• High proficiency in German, English, and French
• Strong motivation and commitment
• Good communication skills and team-oriented mindset

WE OFFER

• A vibrant research environment with an international collaborative team
• Participation in the a.r.t.e.s. doctoral training programme
• A diverse working environment with equal opportunities
• Support in balancing work and family life
• Extensive advanced training opportunities
• Occupational health management offers

The University of Cologne promotes equal opportunities and diversity. Women will be considered preferentially in accordance with the Equal Opportunities Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (Landesgleichstellungsgesetz – LGG NRW). We also expressly welcome applications from all suitable candidates regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, and identity.

The position is available from 1 August 2026 on a part-time basis (25,89 hours per week). The position is to be filled for a fixed term until 31 July 2029. If the applicant meets the relevant wage requirements and personal qualifications, the salary is based on remuneration group 13 TV-L of the pay scale for the German public sector.

Please submit a cover letter describing your qualifications and motivation for applying for this position, CV and copies of the relevant university degree(s) including transcripts as well as your Master‘s thesis. In case your Master’s thesis has not yet been completed, please provide two to three preliminary chapters of the Master‘s thesis if possible, as well as two representative samples of your writing, e.g. term papers.

Please apply online with proof of the required qualifications without photo under https://jobportal.uni-koeln.de The reference number is Wiss2605-09. The application deadline is 5 June 2026.

For further inquiries, please contact Jun.-Prof. Dr. Simon Rössig (simon.roessig@uni-koeln.de) and take a look at our FAQs.