PhD student in Bilingualism

The Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism is one of the biggest departments at the Faculty of Humanities with about 145 employees and more than 5,000 students.

The Centre for Research on Bilingualism was formed in 1988 and provides a broad base of theoretical and practical research with the aim of increasing understanding and awareness of bilingualism. The Centre is a cross-linguistic and interdisciplinary unit within the Faculty of Humanities’ Language Sciences section at Stockholm University.

Research at the Centre forms a significant part of Stockholm University’s leading research area “Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition”. Subfields include bilingualism and second language acquisition, language processing and the bilingual brain, multilingualism and diversity, bilingualism in the family, bilingual education, Swedish as a second language for children and adults, young people’s languages and language use in multilingual contexts, interactional competence, L1 attrition and reactivation in bilinguals, language maintenance and language shift, language ideology, language policy, and multilingualism and education in developing countries. In sum, the Centre’s research covers the sociolinguistic, educational, interactional, structural, psycholinguistic, and neurocognitive aspects of bi-/multilingualism.

More information about us, please visit: Centre for research on bilingualism.

Important note: The doctoral program in Bilingualism includes mandatory courses that together cover a wide range of areas in bilingualism research – including courses that fall outside the student’s own specialization – as well as elective specialization courses. PhD students are thus expected to acquire both deep and broad knowledge of bi-/multilingualism research. 

As a PhD student at the Faculty of Humanities, you also have the opportunity to participate in Doctoral school in the humanities, which offers themes and courses characterized by interdisciplinarity and cooperation across subject borders. The Doctoral School also gives you the chance to improve the quality of your education thanks to the interchange provided by the community of PhD students from other subjects and departments.

Subject area

The Center for Bilingualism Research is announcing a doctoral position in Bilingualism with a focus on multilingualism from a social perspective. The focus includes aspects of bilingualism and multilingualism as studied in socially oriented fields such as sociolinguistics, sociology of language, linguistic landscapes, linguistic anthropology, and social approaches to second language learning. Approaches include historical, discourse analytical, conversational analytical, and ethnographic methods.

We welcome societally relevant and theoretically well-founded research plans that focus on multilingual practices in various spheres of society, including education, working life, media, and civil society. Relevant research topics also include language ideology and minority language policy, as well as the situation of linguistic minorities from historical and contemporary perspectives. The ideal candidate will have research interests that are linked to existing research profiles at the Center. Applicants are therefore encouraged to familiarize themselves with the research and expertise available at the Center within the relevant field. 

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to doctoral studies, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

In order to meet the specific entry requirements, you must have completed at least 30 credits within second-cycle courses with a specific focus on bilingualism, second language acquisition, translation or interpreting studies, linguistics, another linguistic field or non-linguistic field using a linguistic approach, including a thesis of at least 15 credits. National or international students must be able to show equivalent qualifications. 

Selection

The primary assessment criteria in appointing a doctoral student should be the capacity to benefit from the training. The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on the following criteria:

• Education. Assessment of both depth and breadth of previous education.
  
  
• Scientific production. The assessment should also take into consideration the aspect of time, that is, to what extent the applicant has shown the ability to meet his or her previous scientific obligations within given time constraints.  In addition, the scientific progress of the applicant is considered. Based on a Bachelor’s thesis, a Master’s thesis or other academic papers, the ability of the applicant to benefit from the education is considered according to critical ability, analytical ability, creativity and independence.
  
  
• Research plan. The applicant should enclose a research plan, which should cover the research problem and an outline of the research project. The research plan is assessed according to relevance, originality and completion within given time constraints (that is full-time work during a four-year period of doctoral studies).
  
  
• Available supervisor competence.
  
  
• Ability to collaborate. The ability of the applicant to be collaborative is determined by personal references, certificates or interviews.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the employment

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, please contact Niclas Abrahamsson, Professor/Director, phone: +46 8 16 39 19 or phone: +46 708 29 41 75, niclas.abrahamsson@biling.su.se, or Susan Sayehli, Director of PhD Studies, susan.sayehli@biling.su.se.

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.