Research Fellow in Computational Phonology & Cultural Evolution

Job title:

Research Fellow in Computational Phonology & Cultural Evolution

Company

University of Surrey

Job description

The University of Surrey is a global community of ideas and people, dedicated to life-changing education and research.We are ambitious and have a bold vision of what we want to achieve – shaping ourselves into one of the best universities in the world, which we are achieving through the talents and endeavour of every employee.Our culture empowers people to achieve this aim and to collectively, and individually, make a real difference.The rolePostdoctoral position in computational phonology & cultural evolution on “Rational Evolutionary Phonology”Prof Erich Round is seeking qualified applicants for a fully-funded two-year postdoctoral project on “REVOLUPHON: Rational Evolutionary Phonology”. This postdoctoral project contributes to the core cultural-evolutionary and modelling components in the ERC-selected, UKRI-funded project “Rational Evolutionary Phonology”, led by Erich Round in 2024–2029.The position is based at the Surrey Morphology Group at the University of Surrey, and provides the opportunity to work in the vibrant and highly collegial research environment for which SMG is renowned.BackgroundREVOLUPHON is an ambitious project in computational cognitive science, cultural evolution and phonological theory, which seeks deeper explanations for human phonology. Though phonological theories are diverse, they contain recurrent axioms and atoms: segments, features, prosodic units, et cetera. We hypothesise that these units of representation are explicable in terms of the interaction of phonetics with resource limitations on human cognition (resource rationality). Separately, recent decades show that phonologies can be reasonably well modelled as optimisation problems, with optimisation imputed to the mind. We hypothesise that apparent optimisation, and its exceptions, arise because phonologies undergo cultural evolution, an optimising process. REVOLUPHON tests these hypotheses through computational modelling of cognition and cultural evolution, to develop new foundations for phonological theory.ResponsibilitiesThe candidate will be a core member of a research team focused on achieving the REVOLUPHON project aims, and will participate in the broader activities both of the REVOLUPHON group and of the Surrey Morphology Group (SMG). The candidate will have opportunities at SMG to develop their research leadership profile while interacting with world-class researchers. Please refer to the full job description, under ‘Addendum’ for key responsibilities.About youSuitable candidates trained in theoretical and computational phonology are strongly encouraged to apply. Please refer to the full job description, under ‘Addendum’ for essential and desirable criteria.The position is full time, and the successful candidate will be required to work on-site at the University of Surrey, Guildford for three days per week.What we can offerIn addition to salary, you will receive a yearly incremental pay rise, generous annual leave entitlement of 25 days holiday plus 7 university closure days and 8 bank holidays (pro rata for part time roles), a generous pension, access to world-class leisure facilities on campus, a range of travel schemes, and supportive family friendly benefits including an excellent on-site nursery.How to applyThe following documents will be required:

• CV
• Contact details for 2 referees
• DOI/URL links to up to three relevant works of research
• Link to one or more public repositories illustrating coding work
• Research statement of one page, describing research interests and experience

The University of Surrey is committed to providing an inclusive environment that offers equal opportunities for all. We place great value on diversity and are seeking to increase the diversity within our community. We therefore particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and people with disabilities.Further details

Expected salary

£37174 – 40497 per year

Location

Guildford, Surrey

Job date

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 05:53:03 GMT

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