Project Coordinator for RJ Program Unexplored Language Phenomena (UNLAP): Identifying, documenting, and explaining the outer reaches of human expressive capacity.
The Department of Linguistics and Philology conducts research and education in linguistics and text studies with a focus on the languages and cultures of Asia, the classical languages of Europe, linguistics, and computational linguistics. Education is offered at the undergraduate, advanced, and doctoral levels. The department has around seventy employees who, together with students and partners, create an international and intellectually vibrant environment.
The Unexplored Language Phenomena (UNLAP) program is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at exploring the outer limits of human linguistic capacity. In UNLAP, the focus of language research shifts from the common features of languages to discovering and exploring exceptional language phenomena that have so far eluded science. The world's linguistic diversity is far from fully mapped. Our understanding of the full breadth of the human conceptual world—its "design space"—is entirely dependent on our ability to discover and investigate unknown and rare phenomena in the grammar and vocabulary of lesser-known languages. The task is urgent: unexplored languages and language phenomena are disappearing at a rapid pace. Building on the expertise of program members in endangered language communities worldwide, the program launches an innovative agenda sharply focused on uncovering the linguistically unknown. This includes a broad approach to areas fundamental to human conceptualization—time, space, person, and knowledge—while shining a light beyond the very boundaries of our current knowledge. The program is centered at Uppsala University but is a collaboration among researchers at Uppsala University, Lund University, Stockholm University, Gothenburg University, and the University of Oxford, with partnerships with additional universities worldwide.
Responsibilities
The coordinator will coordinate and facilitate collaboration among the program's researchers located at various institutions within and outside Uppsala University. The coordinator will work closely with the program's director and core research group, with university administration at different universities, and independently under their own responsibility. The coordinator will be responsible for the program's internal communication, planning and organizing meetings, travel, seminars, and other activities. The coordinator will create and provide materials for external communication and perform other tasks assigned by the program's director and core research group. A significant portion of the incumbent's responsibilities will involve administering the program's ongoing work, including budget management, accounting, transfers, and preparing reports for external funders. Oral and written presentations, briefings, and drafting written decision materials and reports in English and Swedish are part of the responsibilities. Additional project coordination tasks may be included in the position over time.
Qualifications
• Higher education equivalent to at least a bachelor's degree.
• Extensive experience in project work and taking responsibility for and achieving results in knowledge-intensive environments.
• Experience in project administration, budget management, and financial monitoring.
• Proficient in Excel.
• Good knowledge of finance, budgeting, ongoing accounting, and reporting.
• Strong ability to prioritize as the work may involve tight deadlines.
• Good oral and written skills in English, and a good understanding of Swedish.
• Familiarity with academic communication in speech and writing.
• Experience in strategic and proactive work, as well as the ability to communicate financial information.
Significant emphasis will be placed on personal experience, documented good collaborative skills, and how these are assessed to complement and strengthen the administrative work within the program. For assessment purposes, interviews as well as reference checks may be part of the selection process. To fit into the role, the applicant is expected to work independently, be meticulous and service-oriented, and have a structured approach to work and the ability to learn the administrative and financial systems required. The applicant should be flexible, complete tasks on time, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and have a good ability to handle situations where the workload is high at times. Practical work samples may be conducted.
Desirable/meritorious additional qualifications
Good knowledge of research in linguistics, particularly language typology, experience in linguistic or anthropological fieldwork, and familiarity with Swedish and international external funding for research are meritorious. Ranking of applicants will be based on a comprehensive assessment of the qualification requirements and desirable knowledge.
Application
The application should include:
CV
Cover letter including contact details for two references
Documentation of experiences and competencies that support the requested qualifications/merits.
About the employment
The position is permanent (with a 6-month probationary period). The scope is part-time, 50%. Start date is February 1, 2026, or by agreement. Place of employment: Uppsala.
For inquiries about the position, please contact: Head of the Department of Linguistics and Philology Dimitrios Iordanoglou,
[email protected], and the program's director Harald Hammarström,
[email protected], 070-7184339.
We welcome your application by December 15, 2026