The Department of Modern Languages at The University of Birmingham is happy to announce Out of Our Minds Leverhulme Trust funded PhD Studentship to commence in February 2019 or as soon as possible thereafter. Studentship is awarded to EU, Overseas (Non-EU) and UK students.

The aim is to lead a step-change in research on language and language learning by capturing the linguistic knowledge adult speakers builds up when they are exposed to a language in natural settings.

Birmingham has been challenging and developing great minds for more than a century. Characterised by a tradition of innovation, research at the University has broken new ground, pushed forward the boundaries of knowledge and made an impact on people’s lives.

Scholarship Description

• Applications Deadline: January 7, 2019
• Course Level: Studentship is available to pursue PhD programme.
• Study Subject: Studentship is awarded in the fields of English Language and Linguistics, Modern Languages and Cultures.
• Scholarship Award: The studentship is available for three years full-time and will cover PhD tuition fees for UK/EU students, plus a stipend £14,777 per annum (2018/19 Research Council rate). International students are also eligible to apply, and will receive a reduction in tuition fees equivalent to the Home/EU rate if successful. International students would be expected to cover the difference between international and UK/EU tuition fees.
• Nationality: Studentship is awarded to EU, Overseas (Non-EU) and UK students.
• Number of Scholarships: One studentship is available.
• Scholarship can be taken in the UK

Eligibility for the Scholarship

Eligible Countries: Studentship is awarded to EU, Overseas (Non-EU) and UK students.

Entrance Requirements: Applicants must meet the following criteria:

The successful candidate must document proficiency in English, as well as hold a postgraduate degree in English Language and/or Linguistics. In addition, it is an advantage but not a requirement that the candidate has one or more of the following qualifications:

• A background in (Cognitive) Linguistics, Cognitive Science (language-related studies), or Psycholinguistics
• Experience in designing and running language experiments, using a range of designs and technologies
• Functional knowledge of Corpus Linguistics and some experience using a range of electronic text corpora and/or language-research resources (e.g., ELP/BLP, LSA, HAL, HyDEx)
• Knowledge of statistics for data analysis

English Language Requirements: If English is not your official language, evidence of English proficiency needs to be submitted (an IELTS score of at least 7 overall, with 6.5 in each component).

Application Procedure

How to Apply: Applications for this studentship should be sent to the College of Arts and Law Graduate School: calpg-research-at-contacts.bham.ac.uk:

Applicants are required to submit the following:

• A CV listing any publications
• A max 1500-word project proposal that describes how you would investigate the knowledge users of English have of the morphology or syntax of their language. Examples include, but are not limited to, articles (a(n), the), tenses, aspect, prepositions. We are interested in data-driven approaches to this question that fit within a wider usage-based framework.
• A copy of your MA certificate and transcripts; if these are not yet available, please attach a letter from your MA supervisor
• An electronic copy of your MA dissertation or of the most current draft
• The names and contact details of two academic references
• If English is not your official language, evidence of English proficiency needs to be submitted (an IELTS score of at least 7 overall, with 6.5 in each component)

Scholarship Link