University Lecturer in Bilingualism and Multilingualism

The Centre for Bilingualism Research is an interdisciplinary unit within the Department of Swedish and Multilingualism at Stockholm University.

The Centre for Bilingualism Research conducts research and teaching on bilingualism and multilingualism in society and at the individual level, encompassing sociolinguistic, educational linguistic, structural linguistic, as well as psycho- and neurolinguistic perspectives. Research areas include language and language use in multilingual contexts; linguistic variation; multilingualism and education; language preservation and language shift; language ideology and language policy; second language acquisition in children, adolescents, and adults; second and foreign language teaching; structural aspects of language learning and language loss; effects of age of acquisition, language aptitude, and other individual factors; the bilingual brain’s language processing – among others.

Approximately 170 people work at the department as a whole, of which currently about 15 are at the Centre for Bilingualism Research. For more information, see the Centre's website: www.biling.su.se (http://www.biling.su.se).

Job Responsibilities

The job responsibilities include conducting research, teaching, and supervision within the field, primarily focusing on psycholinguistic and/or neurocognitive aspects of bilingualism and multilingualism. The knowledge area includes second language acquisition, bilingual and multilingual development, language production and perception, language loss, the bilingual brain’s language processing, the relationship between language and thought, individual factors, linguistic input and interaction, cognitive perspectives on language teaching, linguistic pathologies in multilingual individuals – among others. The pedagogical responsibilities primarily consist of teaching, course development, supervision, and examination within the Centre's offerings of courses focused on psycho- and neurolinguistics, but also teaching in more general courses on second language acquisition and bilingual development. Teaching at the undergraduate level in Swedish grammar and/or phonetics from a cross-linguistic perspective and supervision of student projects with this content occurs. Teaching and supervision at the undergraduate level takes place in the subject of Swedish as a second language within teacher education, in independent courses, and in external professional development for practicing educators. Teaching and supervision at the advanced level occurs in the master’s program in bilingualism and in independent courses. Teaching at the doctoral level and doctoral supervision may also become relevant.

Teaching (and often supervision) at the advanced level and within doctoral education is conducted in English, while teaching at the undergraduate level and within the subject teacher program is conducted exclusively in Swedish, thus good knowledge of both Swedish and English is a prerequisite.

The position includes conducting independent research and actively seeking external research funding. The position is divided into 70% teaching and administration and 30% research. The work as a university lecturer includes participating in pedagogical, research-related, and administrative development work, which involves participation in meetings and working groups and willingness to take on assignments, such as program director or as a member of boards, steering groups, working groups, and similar.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible for appointment as a lecturer is a person who has obtained a doctoral degree in bilingualism, multilingualism, Swedish as a second language, or another subject and focus relevant to bilingualism or second language acquisition, and has demonstrated pedagogical proficiency.

The pedagogical proficiency must be documented in a way that allows for assessment of both the scope and quality of the pedagogical work.

The applicant must have good collaborative skills and the ability and suitability otherwise necessary to perform the job responsibilities well.

Good knowledge of both Swedish and English is required, as teaching occurs in both Swedish and English.

Assessment Criteria

In assessing the applicants, special and equal weight is given to scientific and pedagogical proficiency within the subject area of bilingualism/multilingualism with a psycho/neuro-linguistic/cognitive focus.

Great emphasis is placed on:

• international publications within the subject area in the last five years,
• successfully planning and obtaining grants for research projects from external funders,
• documented experience of teaching and course development within the subject area.

Also meritorious is:

• specific experience in psycholinguistic/neurocognitive experimental research with behavioral methods (including eye-tracking) and/or brain imaging techniques (e.g., EEG/ERP, fMRI),
• documented ability to teach courses in second language acquisition (SLA), bilingual development, and in basic courses in Swedish grammar and/or phonetics from a cross-linguistic perspective.

Documented collaborative ability, administrative proficiency, and ability to collaborate with the surrounding community are also considered.

About the Position

The position is permanent and full-time, with the start date to be agreed upon. A six-month probationary period may apply.

Other Information

The faculty welcomes applications from women as most teachers within the research environment at the department are men.

Contact

Inquiries about the position can be made to the Centre's director Niclas Abrahamsson, phone 08-16 39 19, niclas.abrahamsson@biling.su.se (mailto:niclas.abrahamsson@biling.su.se).

Application

You apply for the position via Stockholm University's recruitment system. As an applicant, you are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete according to the university's instructions and that it is received by the university no later than the application deadline.

We encourage you to write your application in English, as it will be reviewed by international experts where English is the working language.

Teaching positions: instructions and application template. (https://www.su.se/english/about-the-university/jobs)

The university's employment regulations, general instructions, and application template in Swedish can be found on the webpage: applying for a position. (https://www.su.se/english/about-the-university/jobs)

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