Researcher in Linguistics (University of Tubingen )

The following position is available at the Department of Linguistics of the Faculty of Humanities beginning November 1st 2025 or shortly after. PhD Researcher in Language Evolution / Probabilistic or Evolutionary Modeling / Primate Communication (m/f/d, E13 TV-L, 75%) The position will be filled for a fixed term until June 2029. Payment is at 75% of full time E13. The position is associated with the project “Modeling Great Ape Signaling Behavior” under the auspices of the Collaborative Research Center “Common Ground” (CRC1718), which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), at the University of Tübingen. The project is led by Principal Investigators Prof. Dr. Michael Franke, Dr. Marlen Fröhlich (both Tübingen) and Prof. Dr. Manuel Bohn (Lüneburg). The successful candidate will support the project by developing and testing models of multimodal communication in great apes, focusing on gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions. Particular emphasis is on the role of context in primate communication, such as physical and social context, prior interactions, rank differences, and kin relationships. This project will thereby contribute to theorizing about the evolution of common ground, one of the central research topics of the Collaborative Research Center in which this project is embedded. We will explore the implied cognitive complexity of great ape communication to identify evolutionary trends and simulate dynamics that might explain the evolution of common ground in humans. For more information see the following representative articles: Bohn, M., et al. (2022). "Great ape communication as contextual social inference: a computational modelling perspective" In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London B Biological Science 377. Franke, M., Bohn, M. & Fröhlich, M. (2024). “Latent meaning representations in great-ape gestural communication.“ In: Proceedings of the 46th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Fröhlich, M., et al. (2021). "Orangutans have larger gestural repertoires in captivity than in the wild - a case of weak innovation?" In: iScience 24(11). Requirements for employment are a completed M.A. or equivalent in a relevant field (Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Biology, Psychology, Evolutionary Anthropology, Philosophy, or similar), near native-level of spoken and written English, and robust conceptual and analytical skills, as documented through course work or research projects. Attestable background knowledge, e.g., through course or project work, in at least one of areas like animal communication research, probabilistic modeling, or language evolution is a strong requirement. As the position involves computational / mathematical modeling in the form of bespoke probabilistic models and/or evolutionary simulations, robust knowledge of and an affinity towards mathematical, computational or probabilistic modeling are important. Further skills in modeling and hands-on experience with data from animal communication can be acquired on the job but require willingness to learn. The ability to work in a diverse, multi-national team is required. In particular, the successful candidate will collaborate closely with a second PhD student in the project working on collecting, annotating and analyzing primate communication data. The project offers a cohesive and diverse research environment at the University of Tübingen and a dedicated interdisciplinary project team within a larger interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Center. We offer the opportunity to acquire cutting-edge research methods, combining observational studies on primate communication with probabilistic and/or evolutionary modeling. The University of Tübingen seeks to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urges qualified women academics to apply for these positions. Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference in the hiring process. The University of Tübingen is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. It therefore takes individual situations into account and asks for relevant information. The employment will be handled by the central administration of the University of Tübingen. Please send your application together with the required documents (motivation letter summarizing your research experience and interests, extensive CV, list of publications, contact details of three potential referees) by August 13, 2025 to Prof. Dr. Michael Franke, sekretariat.pragmatikspam prevention@semsprach.uni-tuebingen.de . Project-related enquiries may also be sent to this address. General information on hiring processes and the German academic system can be found here. If you apply for this position please say you saw it on Academicoxy

The following position is available at the Department of Linguistics of the Faculty of Humanities beginning November 1st 2025 or shortly after.

PhD Researcher in Language Evolution / Probabilistic or Evolutionary Modeling / Primate Communication (m/f/d, E13 TV-L, 75%)

The position will be filled for a fixed term until June 2029. Payment is at 75% of full time E13.

The position is associated with the project “Modeling Great Ape Signaling Behavior” under the auspices of the Collaborative Research Center “Common Ground” (CRC1718), which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), at the University of Tübingen. The project is led by Principal Investigators Prof. Dr. Michael Franke, Dr. Marlen Fröhlich (both Tübingen) and Prof. Dr. Manuel Bohn (Lüneburg).

The successful candidate will support the project by developing and testing models of multimodal communication in great apes, focusing on gestures, vocalizations, and facial expressions. Particular emphasis is on the role of context in primate communication, such as physical and social context, prior interactions, rank differences, and kin relationships. This project will thereby contribute to theorizing about the evolution of common ground, one of the central research topics of the Collaborative Research Center in which this project is embedded. We will explore the implied cognitive complexity of great ape communication to identify evolutionary trends and simulate dynamics that might explain the evolution of common ground in humans. For more information see the following representative articles:

Bohn, M., et al. (2022). "Great ape communication as contextual social inference: a computational modelling perspective" In: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London B Biological Science 377.
Franke, M., Bohn, M. & Fröhlich, M. (2024). “Latent meaning representations in great-ape gestural communication.“ In: Proceedings of the 46th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society.
Fröhlich, M., et al. (2021). "Orangutans have larger gestural repertoires in captivity than in the wild - a case of weak innovation?" In: iScience 24(11).

Requirements for employment are a completed M.A. or equivalent in a relevant field (Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Biology, Psychology, Evolutionary Anthropology, Philosophy, or similar), near native-level of spoken and written English, and robust conceptual and analytical skills, as documented through course work or research projects. Attestable background knowledge, e.g., through course or project work, in at least one of areas like animal communication research, probabilistic modeling, or language evolution is a strong requirement. As the position involves computational / mathematical modeling in the form of bespoke probabilistic models and/or evolutionary simulations, robust knowledge of and an affinity towards mathematical, computational or probabilistic modeling are important. Further skills in modeling and hands-on experience with data from animal communication can be acquired on the job but require willingness to learn. The ability to work in a diverse, multi-national team is required. In particular, the successful candidate will collaborate closely with a second PhD student in the project working on collecting, annotating and analyzing primate communication data.

The project offers a cohesive and diverse research environment at the University of Tübingen and a dedicated interdisciplinary project team within a larger interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Center. We offer the opportunity to acquire cutting-edge research methods, combining observational studies on primate communication with probabilistic and/or evolutionary modeling.

The University of Tübingen seeks to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urges qualified women academics to apply for these positions. Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference in the hiring process. The University of Tübingen is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. It therefore takes individual situations into account and asks for relevant information. The employment will be handled by the central administration of the University of Tübingen.

Please send your application together with the required documents (motivation letter summarizing your research experience and interests, extensive CV, list of publications, contact details of three potential referees) by August 13, 2025 to Prof. Dr. Michael Franke, sekretariat.pragmatikspam prevention@semsprach.uni-tuebingen.de . Project-related enquiries may also be sent to this address.

General information on hiring processes and the German academic system can be found here.

If you apply for this position please say you saw it on Academicoxy

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