PhD Positions

Overview

We are seeking three highly motivated doctoral researchers to join the team of CURLEW (Census of Urban and Rural Language in England and Wales). CURLEW is a four-year project (from August 2026) funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation as part of the International Co-Investigator Scheme with the UK's Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

It is a collaboration between David Britain (Bern, PI), Paul Foulkes (York), Adrian Leemann (Bern) and David Willis (Oxford). The aim of CURLEW is to conduct a census of urban and rural language in England and Wales, providing a rich snapshot of the English language in these countries today using contemporary sociolinguistic sampling techniques, studying a broad cross-section of the population, young and old, urban and rural, speakers of different genders, social classes and ethnic backgrounds.

Modelled on the successful Swiss Dialäktatlas, this project serves as a 21st-century counterpart to the historic Survey of English Dialects from the 1950s and 60s.

Additional PhD positions are available in York and Oxford.

The research team will collect, transcribe and analyse data from over 1000 speakers (8 in each of over 180 locations) across England and Wales. Data collection will use a custom‑developed smartphone app where participants record responses under real‑time remote supervision. Data from CURLEW will help us fully understand how the socio‑economic and demographic changes of the past half‑century have steered language change across these countries.

An MA or MSc in Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Dialectology, English Linguistics, Phonetics, or a closely related field is required. Applicants need native or near‑native command of English.

• The possibility of joining a large international team of scholars, working on the first large-scale survey of dialects in England and Wales since the 1960s
• Supportive supervision by experienced researchers
• The chance to join a large and active wider community of linguists at the University of Bern, who work in collaboration with our Center for the Study of Language and Society
• Access to international research networks, practitioners, workshops, conferences and training events
• Excellent salary and working conditions
• Significant funds for travel to conferences
• A very high quality of life in Bern, described by Time Out magazine in 2025 as the most liveable city in the world.

More information about the CURLEW project, specific job requirements for each post, including those in the UK, and details about how to apply can be found at . The deadline for these posts, and the ones in Oxford and York, is 13:00 CET on February 20th 2026. Please see for more information about how to apply.

Questions about the positions can be addressed to curlew
.

www.karriere.unibe.ch

Apply now