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The Department of Linguistics at Rice University (Houston, Texas) invites applications for a faculty position at any rank—Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Associate Professor (tenured), or Full Professor (tenured) —beginning July 1, 2026. The selected candidate must hold a Ph.D. in linguistics or a closely related discipline by June 30, 2026, and job duties entail conducting a productive research program with potential to secure external funding, the ability to teach undergraduate courses at both introductory and advanced levels, mentor undergraduate students, and provide service to the field, the department, and the university. Senior applicants with administrative experience and/or a willingness to serve as department chair should include that information.

We are particularly interested in scholars who share the department’s interest in language from a usage-based perspective with solid grounding in primary data and whose work spans multiple linguistic subfields and employs rigorous empirical methods to address theoretical, applied, or policy-related questions. While we welcome applicants from all areas of linguistics, we are especially eager to consider candidates whose expertise aligns with innovative research methodologies, computational linguistics, legal applications of linguistics, or other forward-thinking approaches to the discipline, (e.g., speech perception, experimental phonetics, laboratory phonology, morphology, semantics, and syntax [ideally, grounded in field data], child language acquisition, and language documentation and description). Experience recording and analyzing language-in-use in local speech communities (either less well-documented or endangered languages, as well as minority varieties of English) is also desirable.

We encourage creative applications from candidates whose work engages collaboratively across disciplines in the social sciences, humanities, and/or engineering; that is, someone who can contribute to one or more of Rice’s interdepartmental programs or departments, such as the program in Cognitive Science or the Department of Computer Science.

Housed within the School of Social Sciences, the Department of Linguistics at Rice University fosters excellence in both teaching and research. We are committed to supporting undergraduate students majoring in linguistics as well as those from other disciplines, creating a collaborative academic environment that values interdisciplinary connections and community engagement. Candidates may wish to highlight how their research and teaching contribute to these goals within their application materials. For further information about our department, please visit our website at https://linguistics.rice.edu/.

For full consideration, applications should be received by November 15, 2025. Review will continue until the position is filled. Applicants should use the application

portal https://apply.interfolio.com/173368 to provide

(a) A cover letter (3 pages maximum) However, senior applicants who have extensive experience in departmental/programmatic leadership (or a willingness to do so) are encouraged to discuss this in their cover letter within no more than two additional pages.

(b) A Curriculum Vitae,

(c) A research statement (2 pages maximum),

(d) A teaching statement of philosophy and interests, including evidence of teaching effectiveness (1 page),

(e) No more than three representative samples of published or unpublished work.

(f) Contact information for three references who may be contacted at a later stage in the hiring process.

We welcome the fullness of diversity at Rice University, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with a commitment to well-qualified applicants, all of whom will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Also, in our candidate pools, we seek to attract greater representation of women, scholars of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and others who have historically been underrepresented in Linguistics; supporting an environment that fosters interaction and understanding within our community. The successful candidate will maintain and promote the Rice University Standard of Civility, serving as a representative of the University, displaying courtesy, tact, consideration and discretion in all interactions with other members of the Rice community and with the public.

Please address questions to: Chair, Linguistics Faculty Search Committee (email: [email protected].)

Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status.

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University (https://www.rice.edu/mission-values#xd\_co\_f=NzhlYjAxZjUtZDM4Yi00N2VkLTkwODAtYjdkNzE0ZmUwZTA3~)