Postdoc Position on the Typology of Postverbal Negation, in a Multi-Method Crosslinguistic Project

Full Job Description

Come work with us

In this project you collaborate in a small international team of (psycho)linguists and cognitive scientists on the evolution and processing of negation in language. Together, we investigate the cognitive underpinnings of why most languages prefer to express the negator early rather than late in the utterance. Alongside one of the PIs and another part-time postdoctoral researcher, you will carry out a typological study on languages with and without late negation, with specific attention to languages of Papua, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, you will contribute to a multi-methods project including artificial language learning and EEG, as well field-based experiments with speakers of Cha’palaa, an indigenous language of Ecuador.

This is what you will be doing

• Design and conduct qualitative and quantitative typological research on the typology of (early/late) negation and its structural correlates, in collaboration with one of the PIs and another part-time (20%) postdoctoral researcher;
• Collaborate with the rest of the team (another PI, PhD candidate, and external partner) in an interdisciplinary project, including (field-based) psycholinguistic experiments;
• Co-authoring at least three papers and compiling a typological database;
• Co-organizing and contributing to a summer school and a workshop.

This is what we ask of you

• PhD in a relevant field: (morpho-syntactic/semantic) typology, cross-linguistic psycholinguistics;
• Experience with structure of non-WEIRD languages, in particular languages of South-America, Papua, and/or sub-Saharan Africa;
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative approaches to cross-linguistic variation;
• Demonstrable affinity with interdisciplinary and (field-based) experimental approaches;
• A cooperative attitude and excellent communicative skills;
• Good command of (academic) English;
• Optional: working knowledge of Spanish.

This is what else we offer you

• The employment will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with two years. The preferred starting date is 01 March 2027;
• Depending on relevant experience, the salary at the start of the employment is between €3.706 and €5.760 euros gross per month based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week. In addition, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year allowance. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable.

This is where you will be working

This postdoctoral position is part of an NWO-funded Open Competition Large project, led by two PIs: Eva van Lier and Marieke Schouwstra, affiliated with two research schools: the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC) and the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC). In addition, our research team includes another (part-time) postdoc, a PhD candidate, and an in international specialist in psycholinguistics.

Are you an experienced linguistic typologist with a keen interest in interdisciplinary approaches to cross-linguistic research? Do you imagine yourself working in a small team at the crossroads of linguistics and cognitive science? Then we welcome your application for a postdoctoral position in our multi-methods project on negation across languages.

Come work with us

In this project you collaborate in a small international team of (psycho)linguists and cognitive scientists on the evolution and processing of negation in language. Together, we investigate the cognitive underpinnings of why most languages prefer to express the negator early rather than late in the utterance. Alongside one of the PIs and another part-time postdoctoral researcher, you will carry out a typological study on languages with and without late negation, with specific attention to languages of Papua, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, you will contribute to a multi-methods project including artificial language learning and EEG, as well field-based experiments with speakers of Cha’palaa, an indigenous language of Ecuador.

This is what you will be doing

• Design and conduct qualitative and quantitative typological research on the typology of (early/late) negation and its structural correlates, in collaboration with one of the PIs and another part-time (20%) postdoctoral researcher;
• Collaborate with the rest of the team (another PI, PhD candidate, and external partner) in an interdisciplinary project, including (field-based) psycholinguistic experiments;
• Co-authoring at least three papers and compiling a typological database;
• Co-organizing and contributing to a summer school and a workshop.

This is what we ask of you

• PhD in a relevant field: (morpho-syntactic/semantic) typology, cross-linguistic psycholinguistics;
• Experience with structure of non-WEIRD languages, in particular languages of South-America, Papua, and/or sub-Saharan Africa;
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative approaches to cross-linguistic variation;
• Demonstrable affinity with interdisciplinary and (field-based) experimental approaches;
• A cooperative attitude and excellent communicative skills;
• Good command of (academic) English;
• Optional: working knowledge of Spanish.

This is what else we offer you

• The employment will be for one year. Contingent on a positive performance evaluation the contract will be extended with two years. The preferred starting date is 01 March 2027;
• Depending on relevant experience, the salary at the start of the employment is between €3.706 and €5.760 euros gross per month based on full-time employment for a 38-hour working week. In addition, you will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year allowance. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities is applicable.

This is where you will be working

This postdoctoral position is part of an NWO-funded Open Competition Large project, led by two PIs: Eva van Lier and Marieke Schouwstra, affiliated with two research schools: the Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication (ACLC) and the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC). In addition, our research team includes another (part-time) postdoc, a PhD candidate, and an in international specialist in psycholinguistics.

For questions about the position or department, you can contact us during office hours at:

Eva van Lier (e.h.vanlier@uva.nl) and/or Marieke Schouwstra (m.schouwstra@uva.nl)

Application If you recognize yourself in the profile and are interested in the position, we look forward to receiving your application.

The vacancy closes on 9 November 2026. The first round of interviews will take place on 7 December 2026

Qualifications And Requirements

• PhD

• PhD