Postdoctoral Researcher

Contract Type: Fixed Term

Salary: Grade 7 / £39,238 – £46,060 pa inclusive of LW

Location: Bloomsbury, London

Hours: 35 per week

SOAS University of London is the leading Higher Education institution in Europe specialising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle East.  SOAS University of London is positioned to play a leading role in reimagining higher education globally, with a new strategic plan in place as the basis for the renewal and revitalisation of the School which commits SOAS to both student responsiveness and research intensity. SOAS is moving towards a new model of international partnerships which is responsive to the transnational character of our global challenges.

About the Department:

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures’ (EALC) expertise in the languages and cultures of China, Tibet, Japan and Korea covers one of the oldest yet most dynamic and important regions of the world. Our interdisciplinary degree programmes mean we have close ties with other disciplines across SOAS, and with the SOAS China Institute (SCI), home to the largest community of Chinese Studies scholars in Europe.

Under the leadership of Dr. Ernest Caldwell, the department will be hosting a collaborative research project ‘Han phonology: when Chinese became Chinese’, which will produce a Handbook of Han Chinese Phonology intended to supersede the existing monograph length studies of Han phonology. The Handbook will synthesize the existing knowledge of sound change in this period, formalizing this synthesis with finite state transducers. In addition, by applying state-of-the-art network analysis to the linguistic data found in a robust corpus of texts that includes newly unearthed sources, we will pinpoint the time, place, and social milieu of known changes, adjudicate controversial proposal, and provide a rigorous treatment of dialectal and sociolectal variation.

About the Role

The Post-Doctoral Researcher will work closely with the Principal Investigator, Dr. Ernest Caldwell and Co-Investigator, Dr. Nathan Hill. The role is for the primary researcher on the project, and the post holder will be responsible for collecting and processing data and preparing single and multi-authored research outputs. The appointee will have a high degree of self-motivation and a demonstrable pride in the quality of written work and research previously undertaken.

You can find further information on the key criteria for the role in the Job Description and Person Specification, along with a full list of duties and responsibilities, which can be found on the SOAS website.

How to Apply

Closing date:  4th January 2023                    

Interviews to be held: 13^th January 2023

We would particularly welcome applications from candidates from working class, first generation Higher Education, the Global South, Black, Asian or other minority ethnic and underrepresented groups. All appointment decisions will be made on merit, following a fair and competitive process.

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