Two-year postdoc in Computational Lexicography and Linguistics at the Centre for Language Technology, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, UCPH

The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark, invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in Computational Lexicography and Linguistics to be filled by the 1st of March 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics is home to 1600 students and 160 members of staff. It provides the setting for international research and education from BA to PhD studies within language, language technology, Natural Language Processing, literature, media, culture, and gender studies.

The successful candidate will be attached to both the Centre for Language Technology (CST), which is one of the research centres of the department, and to the Society of Danish language and Literature (DSL) which compiles and publishes dictionaries and language technology resources for Danish at a scholarly basis, often in research projects in collaboration with CST. The latter affiliation will amount to around six months of the total hiring period of 24 months.

CST conducts research in different areas of interest for language technology, such as Natural Language Processing, construction of NLP resources, Computational Cognitive Modeling and Multimodality, NLP infrastructure and policy, Representation Learning for NLP and Digital Humanities, among others. It has a strong international profile, at the same time as pursuing the development of language technology methods and resources for the Danish language. The Centre has considerable experience managing international research projects, frequently attracts visiting researchers, and has organised major conferences in the field. In collaboration with the Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen, it offers an international MSc programme in IT and Cognition. The programme, which currently admits about 30 students a year, comprises a range of courses in Natural Language Processing and Cognitive Science. In addition, we teach at several BA programs and electives, such as the BA ‘Kognitions- and Datavidenskab’ hosted at the Department of Psychology and an elective package on Language-Centric AI for students in the Humanities.

Job content
The successful candidate will contribute to the project ELEXAI, which focuses on a European Lexicographic Infrastructure for Artificial Intelligence (https://www.eurac.edu/en/projects/elexai), granted by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Program.

The candidate will in particular contribute to the project’s work packages on LLM Benchmarking, the so-called LexBench, which is led by CST and also involves DSL. This part of the project investigates how benchmarks for Natural Language Understanding can be compiled mono- and multilingually from lexical resources and datasets. The position involves designing and compiling such benchmarks in close collaboration with DSL and the other European partners of the project and to apply them in diverse evaluation scenarios. A particular focus will be put on benchmarking word understanding capabilities and on the understanding of figurative language, including the cultural bias that this part of the language may evoke in LLMs.

Ideal candidates for this work have a background in computational lexicography and/or computational linguistics, with experience in lexicographical work and with good programming skills. It is an advantage although not a requirement, if the candidate has good knowledge of the Danish language.

Teaching qualifications are not a requirement, since the candidate will not be involved in teaching.

Qualification requirements
Applicants will primarily be assessed on their research qualifications, including publications, the ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and experience in research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the project described above.

Application
Applications must be submitted online in PDF or Word format. Click on the “Apply now” button at the bottom of this advertisement to apply.

Applications should be written English and must include the following attachments:

1. Letter of motivation
2. CV
3. Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma)
4. Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:

• Peer-reviewed publications:
  • Monographs and anthologies
  • Articles in journals
  • Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
• Non-peer-reviewed publications:
  • Publications disseminating research findings, etc.

Applicants can attach a maximum of 4 publications. The publication dates must be clearly marked on the list. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered [1-4].

1. Research plan.
2. Work on the dissemination of research.

Only documentation in English will be assessed.

Applicants are invited to familiarize themselves with the faculty’s strategic landmarks here: Strategic landmarks – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 39.993,75 (EUR 5.350,62) + a 18,07% contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process
Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Head of Section will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Section will then set up an expert assessment committee to consider the applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. They will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.

Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a wide variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark, here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR SOENDRE, email:HR-SOENDRE@adm.ku.dk, please refer to ID number: 211-2697/26-2L

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Professor Bolette S. Pedersen, email: bspedersen@hum.ku.dk, The deadline for applications is 13 November 2026, 23:59 [CET]

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.