PhD positions are available

at The Language Learning and Processing Lab of Prof. Inbal Arnon at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem

 

​We are looking for curious and intelligent PhD candidates to join the lab! The lab’s core research areas include language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and the impact of cognitive biases on language structure and change. We want to understand what it means to know language; how it is acquired; and how our cognitive biases impact the language emergence, structure and change. Our research lies at the intersection of Cognitive Science, Linguistics, and Psychology, and employs a range of experimental and computational methods. Our lab is committed to maintaining and promoting a diverse and inclusive environment. We seek to recruit, support, and retain members from diverse backgrounds and groups that have historically been underrepresented in the sciences.

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The positions are part of a funded project on the topic ‘What makes linguistic information more learnable: Investigating the learnability sources and consequences of Zipfian distributions in language’. In this project, we use mathematical, computational, and experimental tools to investigate the impact of cognitive preferences on one of the common features among the world's languages. More about our findings can be read here. The research is part of a broader research program on the cognitive and communicative origins of language. We aim to expand this research program in developmental, computational, and mathematical directions, as well as to extend it to the communication systems of other species. 

 

We are looking for an outstanding candidate for PhD studies. The selected candidate should be suitable for one of the flagship programs (Psychology, Cognitive Science, ELSC), have a background in a relevant field (Psychology, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Cognitive Science), and have proven research experience during their bachelor's degree or earlier (as a research assistant or student intern). Knowledge of programming is an advantage.

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The positions require a passion and a commitment to science, intellectual curiosity, a collaborative spirit, and fast learning skills. Candidates should send their CV, a statement of research interests, and the contact information of two academic references to Inbal.arnon@mail.huji.ac.il. Applications will be considered until the positions are filled.