Postdoctoral Scholar - Multimodal Study of Chinese

This position has an initial appointment of two years.

Location - This role is in-person. Work primarily takes place at North Campus, Edmonton.

The start date of this position is January 1, 2027 or as early as possible after that date. The postdoc position is supervised by Prof. Xiaoting Li in the Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta. The research project that the postdoc will participate in is a multimodal study of Chinese interaction including Mandarin, and Southwestern Mandarin, Northern Mandarin, and Jin dialects.

The successful candidate will work with Prof. Xiaoting Li on data collection, supervising data transcription, participating in data analysis and research dissemination (publications and presentations). The position provides opportunities to work on interdisciplinary research teams in collaboration with researchers in other areas such as psychology, theatre, media art, and computer engineering. The successful candidate will assist Prof. Xiaoting Li to coordinate the interdisciplinary research teams in the project. The successful candidate needs to be an enthusiastic and passionate researcher.

• PhD in linguistics, applied linguistics, Chinese linguistics, or other related disciplines such as sociology (conversation analysis) and communication, with a commendable track record of publications. ABDs are welcome to apply, and will receive equal consideration as candidates holding a PhD degree, but they are expected to complete all PhD degree completion requirements in their home institutions by the start date of the position.
• Native or near-native proficiency level in Mandarin, as is evidenced by HSK certificate Level 8 and up, or the Mandarin Proficiency Certificate (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) Level 1, or a degree from a post-secondary institution with Mandarin as the medium of instruction.
• Ability to understand and transcribe conversations in the following Chinese dialects: Southwestern Mandarin and Northern Mandarin.
• Experience in collecting language and social interactional data using eye-tracking and other audio- and video-recording technologies.
• Experience in analyzing authentic Mandarin interactional data using conversation analysis and interactional linguistics methodologies.
• Experience in transcribing naturalistic Mandarin interactions using the transcription software such as Elan and Transana.
• Expertise in one or more the following areas: conversation analysis, multimodal interaction analysis, interactional linguistics.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience publishing in internationally-recognized academic venues (e.g., peer- reviewed journals).
• Experience working in an interdisciplinary team and/or on interdisciplinary projects.
• Effective communication (written and verbal) and strong interpersonal skills to work in a diverse team environment effectively and efficiently.
• Ability to work independently and adaptability to work under the supervision of principal investigator with flexibility and willingness to learn new techniques as a self- starter.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong organizational skills and time management skills.
• Teamwork and supervision skills to supervise graduate and undergraduate students.

Application Instructions
Click "Apply Now" to submit your resume, cover Letter and List of Publications.

This position has a comprehensive benefits package.

The terms and conditions of this appointment are governed by the Collective Agreement between the Board of Governors of the University of Alberta and the Postdoctoral Fellows Association of the University of Alberta.