PhD fellowship in Linguistics, Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies Full-time NEW

PhD Position In Multilingual Language Awareness

Within the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA), University of Copenhagen is offering one PhD position for a Doctoral Candidate (DC), commencing 1 November 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter.

The position is a full-time appointment for 36 months and is funded by Horizon Europe.

MultiLAwa is a MSCA Doctoral Network. The mission of MultiLAwa is to promote the concept of Multilingual Language Awareness as it investigates Language Awareness in multilingual contexts, zooming in on Critical Language Awareness, Metalinguistic Awareness, and Practical Language Awareness. Adopting a broad understanding of Language Awareness as a general, socially embedded competence, the project addresses major language-related challenges in a rapidly digitalising society and contributes to the development of sustainable, inclusive, and pluri-/multilingual ecosystems across Europe.

More information may be found on the MultiLAwa home page.

MultiLAwa will deliver a training programme to 14 Doctoral Candidates that equips them with all capabilities to become leaders of tomorrow's R&I in Europe.

Project description The successful applicant will join a multidisciplinary EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie International PhD training network. This doctoral position is based at the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies at University of Copenhagen.

The Doctoral Candidate will be supervised by Professor Petra Daryai-Hansen.

IRP13 is embedded into Work Package 4 (WP4) 'Language learning and plurilingualism in the era of GenAI'. In light of technological advances in digital tools and resources, as well as the ongoing migration crisis, WP4 reconsiders the main concepts and approaches to language learning and teaching: it investigates practical language awareness, metalinguistic awareness and critical language awareness as well as learner autonomy, motivation and plurilingualism from the learners' perspective. It will conduct pedagogical experiments and analyse interview, survey and classroom data, as well as curricula and language teaching/learning materials. WP4 will produce guidelines for students, teachers, teacher trainers and decision-makers and innovative teaching materials, resources and pathways for formal and non-formal language learning in a digital Europe.

In this context, IRP13 investigates the impact of migration-language-oriented foreign language teaching on heterogeneous learner groups, taking into account Language Awareness (Practical, Metalinguistic, Critical Language Awareness) and affective factors.

Recruiting University: University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark

Partner University for the Joint Doctorate: University of Mannheim (UMA), Germany

Secondments

• Ernst Klett Verlag (EKV), Leipzig (Germany), 6 months

Objectives IRP13's main objective is to investigate the impact of migration-language-oriented foreign language teaching on heterogeneous learner groups, taking into account language awareness (practical, metalinguistic, critical language awareness) and affective factors. Therefore, DC13 will:

• identify existing and future possibilities for integrating migration languages using GenAI in the context of plurilingual foreign language teaching approaches and learning curricula in the Danish and German context;
• analyse existing teaching materials on the DA and DE market considering GenAI-tools, different constellations of target languages and migration languages;
• develop in collaboration with the Associated Partner EKV concrete teaching materials including migration languages, taking into account the potential of integrating GenAI, and conduct a pedagogical experiment investigating migrant and non-migrant students' development of practical language awareness, metalinguistic awareness and critical language awareness.

Expected Results:

• An analysis of the integration of migration languages and GenAI in curricula and existing teaching materials in a DA-DE perspective;
• Teaching materials incl. languages of migration and GenAI;
• Guidelines for basic principles concerning the integration of migration languages to foster students' practical language awareness, metalinguistic awareness and critical language awareness.

About the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies The Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies (EGR) provides a vital research environment for cross-linguistic research in the major European languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish and German). EGR hosts four linguistic research fora: Digital Cultures and Languages, Languages and Cultures in Education, Norm, Variation and Language Change, Translation and cultural transfer. In September 2023, a new Centre of Excellence, the Centre for Culture and the Mind (CULTMIND) opened at the Faculty of Humanities. UCPH hosts the Centre for Gender, Sexuality and Difference dedicated to cross-disciplinary gender research, the Centre for Language and Technology focusing on language technology and Natural Language Processing and the Center for Internationalisation and Parallel Language Use (CIP).

Job description Your key tasks as a PhD Fellow are to:

• Conduct an independent research project under supervision.
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
• Participate in active research environments including a stay at another research team.
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project.
• Teach and disseminate your knowledge.
• Prepare and submit a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project.

Qualification requirements Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master's level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. Master of Arts, Master of Translation, Master of Education, or a Master of Science in Linguistics or a closely related discipline. If you have completed your education in Denmark, you must have a master's degree covered by the collective agreement for academics in the state sector.

If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, you must either have a master's degree equivalent to a Danish master's degree (two years) or as minimum a bachelor's degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor's degree (three years) and be assessed as having professional qualifications at master's level.

If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, we will obtain an assessment of your education from the Danish Research Agency.

Applicants will also be required to meet the European Commission's MSCA Doctoral Network eligibility criteria, notably:

• Mobility Rule – Applicants can be of any nationality and must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the start of their employment at UCPH. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not considered.
• Doctoral Candidate requirement – the applicant must not be in possession of a doctoral degree at the first day of the employment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet been awarded the doctoral degree are not eligible.

Only applicants who meet the above eligibility criteria will be considered for the position.

Preferred qualifications:

• Language skills: English and German at level B2 (written and spoken), basic reading comprehension of Danish is expected, knowledge of migration languages is an asset.
• Methodology/Digital skills : Qualitative methods (content analysis, pedagogical experiments), Quantitative methods (proficiency testing), Comparative methods, GenAI skills.

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant work experience
• Publications
• The grade point average achieved
• Other professional activities
• Language skills
• The successful applicant is also required to be enterprising and to possess good interpersonal skills.

Terms of employment The employment is conditioned upon the applicant's successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of Humanities. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project to the PhD School. Please note that this process will be initiated by the PhD School only after an employment offer has been made.

The PhD programme must be completed in accordance with the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme (Executive Order no. 1124 of 19 September 2025) and the faculty's regulations for obtaining the degree

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the requirements from the European Commission related to the MSCA programme and the agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at DKK 31,600 /roughly EUR 4,200 (April 2026 level) plus pension.

The EU MSCA grant consists of a living allowance of EUR 191,710 (roughly DKK 1