PhD position in Measuring Critical Language and Multimodal Awareness Proficiency (V25.0465)

This fully funded PhD at the University of Groningen (NL) is part of the research project Critical language and multimodal awareness (CLMA): a key competency for future-oriented graduates. The candidate will develop tools to measure the impact of CLMA interventions on both educators’ and students’ proficiency in this crucial, future-oriented competency.

CLMA is a competency that enables individuals to recognize and critically reflect on the influence of both linguistic and multimodal forms of communication. For example, how words like “riot” versus “demonstration” frame the same event very differently. Advertising images can also link products to ideas of success. Thus, these forms of communication are not merely tools for conveying messages, but powerful agents that sculpt our society, influence our relationships, shape our thought processes, and, importantly, guide our behaviors.

This PhD project focuses on evidence-informed educational innovation. Using a solid theoretical foundation for CLMA, it will test how CLMA can be integrated into Dutch higher education through targeted interventions and resources, and generate empirical evidence of its effectiveness.

We are looking for a motivated and thoughtful researcher who is excited to explore measurement options to capture changes in awareness, competencies, and practices, and to assess the broader educational impact of CLMA interventions within higher education.

As part of this PhD, the candidate will:

• Conduct an integrative review of established competency models
• Create assessment tools (which may include use of AI tools) to measure CLMA proficiency at various levels
• Develop, test and triangulate these qualitative and quantitative assessment tools
• Develop academic publications and complete a cumulative doctoral dissertation within four years, supported by a supervisory team
• Contribute to teaching activities
• Actively engage with the research environment at the CLCG including research meetings, reading groups, workshops, and international conferences
• Participate in academic training, including methods courses, seminars, and skills-development workshops offered by the Graduate School of the Humanities and other university bodies
• Complete the PhD project in the specified timeframe (4,5 years).

Organization
The University of Groningen
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. Its 34,000 students are encouraged to develop their own individual talents through challenging study- and career paths. The University of Groningen is an international centre of knowledge: It belongs to the best research universities in Europe and is allied with prestigious partner universities and networks worldwide.

The Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts is a large, dynamic faculty in the heart of the city of Groningen. It has more than 5000 students and 700 staff members, who are working at the frontiers of knowledge every day. The Faculty offers a wide range of degree programmes: 15 Bachelor's programmes and over 35 Master's specialisations. Our research, which is internationally widely acclaimed, covers Archaeology, Cultural Studies, History, International Relations, Language and Literary Studies, Linguistics and Media and Journalism Studies.

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate the following:

• A Research Master’s or Master’s degree in any area related to the project.
• Excellent academic writing skills in English.
• Experience or a demonstrated interest in research methods and higher education.
• Willingness to carry out fieldwork and engage with interdisciplinary approaches.
• Good collaboration skills and ability to contribute to team-based research.
• Excellent command of spoken and written English.
• Strong motivation to work across academic contexts.

We offer in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement for Dutch universities:

• A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four and a half years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After 11 months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued.
• A salary of € 3,059 gross per month in the first year, up to a maximum of € 3,881 (scale P) gross per month in the final year, based on a full-time position.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• Participation in a pension scheme for employees.
• Favourable tax agreements for non-Dutch applicants may be applicable.
• 0.1 FTE of the appointment is specifically allocated to building teaching competencies through activities such as teacher training, practice teaching, classroom shadowing, and individual teaching.
• Willingness to move and reside in the Netherlands.

Do you want to become a member of our team? Please send your application to us, by submitting the following documents in English

• Letter of motivation.
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Copies of (Research)Master diploma and list of grades. If candidates are still studying for their (Research)Master diploma, a written statement from the supervisor is required commenting on performance and expected date of completion.
• Copy of (Re)Master thesis.
• A writing sample (for example a published work or MA thesis in the English language).
• Contact information of two academic referees.

You may apply for this position until 1 October 11:59pm / before 2 October 2025 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on “Apply”; below on the advertisement on the university website). Please send in your application as two PDF files (one for the (Re)Master thesis, and one for all other documents). Please submit the merged application under the ‘Letter of motivation’ and the thesis under ‘Extra attachment’.

The selection interviews will take placed November 2025. The selected candidate is expected to start in January 2026, but starting in March 2026 is a possibility. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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