Computational linguistics is the science of understanding and modeling human language using computers. Since human language has many forms – spoken, signed and written – and involves various organs such as the vocal tract, ears, face, hands, eyes, and the brain, our research covers the full range of these modalities and senses.

We invite applications for a fully funded doctoral position to investigate voice recognition abilities in humans, with a focus on infancy and early development. The project will examine how infants (compared to adults) learn and recognize voices and the role that infant-directed speech/vocalisations play in this process, how these abilities emerge over time, and what cognitive and neural mechanisms support early voice identity processing. The PhD student will design and conduct behavioral, acoustic, and/or neuroimaging experiments to better understand the developmental trajectory of voice recognition and its role in social communication and language learning.

This position is located in the vibrant Phonetics & Speech Sciences Group in the Department of Computational Linguistics at the University of Zurich which brings together expertise in phonetics, developmental psychology, neuroscience, and computational modelling. The successful candidate will have access to state-of-the-art experimental facilities at the Linguistic Research Infrastructure (LiRI). The position will be co-supervised by an international team of researchers: Prof. Dr. Volker Dellwo (UZH), PD Dr. Elisa Pellegrino (UZH) and Prof. Dr. Rushen Shi (Université du Québec à Montréal).

• Co-design and conduct experiments on infant and/or adult voice recognition (behavioral, acoustic, and/or EEG/fNIRS methods).
• Collect, process, and analyze experimental data.
• Present findings at conferences and publish in peer-reviewed journals.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary research team.
• Contribute to the lab's teaching and mentoring activities (approx. 10–20%).
• Teaching of one course/term on human voice recognition.

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in linguistics, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, speech sciences, or a related field.
• Strong interest in voice communication sciences, voice perception, speech/language development, phonetics and cognitive neuroscience.
• Experience with experimental design and data analysis (e.g. R, Python, MATLAB, or similar).
• Good communication skills for recruiting and working with infants, young children and their parents.
• Good command of written and spoken English; knowledge of German is an asset (especially for infant participant recruitment).
• Strong motivation for interdisciplinary research, independence, and teamwork.

Information on your application

• A fully funded doctoral position with salary of ~58'000 CHF/year.
• The position consists of an employment of 60 % and 40 % personal contribution as part of the PhD position.
• An intellectually stimulating environment in a leading research group with integration in the VoCS network (www.vocs.eu.com).
• Opportunities for international collaboration, conference travel, and advanced training.
• Access to state-of-the-art research equipment.
• This position is limited up to 4 years.

• Motivation letter (max. 2 pages)
• CV (including publications, if any)
• Contact details of 2 referees

• Flexible working models (such as part-time positions, mobile working, job-sharing)
• Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH

• Wide range of continuing education courses of UZH and the Canton of Zurich
• Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich

• Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias
• Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution

• Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ
• Free seasonal flu vaccinations
• Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower

• Policies of the UZH
• Most UZH staff are employed according to public law

• Support for people from outside Switzerland

• Campuses Zurich City, Zurich Irchel, Oerlikon and Schlieren
• Sites Zurich West, Old Botanical Garden, Botanical Garden and Lengg