PhD Position at Uppsala University

Do you want to pursue a doctoral education supported by competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employee development and offers secure, favorable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a PhD position at Uppsala University.

The Faculty of Languages at Uppsala University conducts teaching and research in several classical and contemporary languages and cultures, as well as linguistics and language technology. This diversity of linguistic, literary, and cultural orientations forms a core of humanistic research and also lays a sustainable foundation for fruitful collaborations within the faculty, as well as with other scientific fields and society at large.

Doctoral studies extend over a 4-year period during which the doctoral candidate receives a salary as an employee of the department. The doctoral candidate is expected to conduct studies and research full-time and to participate in and contribute to the department's activities. Teaching and/or administrative tasks may be added up to 20%, in which case the doctoral position will be extended accordingly.

The Department of Linguistics and Philology conducts research and education in linguistics and text studies with a focus on Asian languages and cultures, classical languages of Europe, linguistics, and computational linguistics. Education is offered at the undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral levels. The department has around seventy employees, who together with students and partners create an international and intellectually vibrant environment.

Job Responsibilities

The dissertation project must fall within the framework of the supervision capacity available at the department. Great importance will be attached to the quality and feasibility of the proposed project within the stipulated time, access to relevant research materials and ethical aspects of research, as well as the candidate's suitability and qualifications for the task. For this announcement, we are seeking two candidates with a broad background in Sinology who are highly motivated and interested in one of the following research areas:

• Chinese linguistics (e.g., grammar, phonetics, graphology, sociolinguistics).
• China's ethnic minorities (e.g., language, culture, minority policy).
• Second language acquisition of Chinese.
• Chinese literature in ancient or modern times (including e.g., comparative literature studies).

Applications may have an interdisciplinary focus based on language or literature research with e.g., a historical perspective, a social science foundation, a gender perspective, or an idea and cultural historical angle.

The final form of the dissertation project will be established in collaboration with the supervisor. The applicant should attach a brief research plan to their application. An interview with the applicant may also be considered. Teaching in courses within the education and supervision will be conducted in Swedish or English.

Qualifications

• Eligible for doctoral education is one who has completed a master's degree in Chinese, or accumulated at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level in Chinese including an independent project of at least 15 higher education credits, or has acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way.
• Very good knowledge of written and spoken English.

Particular emphasis will be placed on the quality of the independent work and its subject matter relation to the proposed project.

Desirable/meritorious qualifications

Meritorious are also German and French, but depending on the dissertation topic, other language skills may also be meritorious.

The application should include:

• A preliminary research proposal of a maximum of three pages excluding references.
• A CV of no more than three pages.
• Degree certificate for master's degree (or equivalent) and course transcripts.
• Thesis (and a summary in English of no more than three pages excluding references if the thesis itself is not in English or Swedish).
• Other documents you wish to reference.
• The application should be written in Swedish or English.

About the position

The position is temporary, according to HF 5 chap § 7. The extent is full-time. Start date: September 1, 2026, or by agreement. Place of employment: Uppsala.

Regulations for doctoral candidates can be found at https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/hogskoleforordning-1993100_sfs-1993-100/#K5 (https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/hogskoleforordning-1993100_sfs-1993-100/#K5) 5 chap §§ 1-7 and at https://www.uu.se/medarbetare/organisation-styrning/regler/riktlinjer-for-utbildning-pa-forskarniva-vid-uppsala-universitet#h-3Antagningtillutbildningpaforskarniva (https://www.uu.se/medarbetare/organisation-styrning/regler/riktlinjer-for-utbildning-pa-forskarniva-vid-uppsala-universitet#h-3Antagningtillutbildningpaforskarniva).

For inquiries about the position, please contact: Head of Department Dimitrios Iordanoglou, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or Director of Studies for the doctoral program Meriem Beloucif, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Welcome with your application by March 2, 2026, UFV-PA 2025/3968.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international standing. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all 7,600 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of the country's most exciting workplaces.

Read more about our benefits and what it is like to work at Uppsala University https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/ (https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/)

The position may be subject to security clearance. A prerequisite for employment during security clearance is that the applicant is approved.

We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising assistance.

Applications are received in Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Union representatives: Saco-S - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), Seko - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), ST (OFR/S) - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])