PhD – CARE to talk: Language input in person-centered residential dementia care for migrants
Apply nowPhD – CARE to talk: Language input in person-centered residential dementia care for migrants
Have you ever considered the challenges of aging with dementia in a society whose dominant language you do not speak well? While language barriers are often cited as obstacles to equitable dementia care for older migrants, their nature and impact remain underexplored. Research on how home language input may support the mental and cognitive health of people with dementia (PWD) in migrant communities is particularly scarce.
PhD – CARE to talk: Language input in person-centered residential dementia care for migrants
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What are you going to do?
Have you ever considered the challenges of aging with dementia in a society whose dominant language you do not speak well? While language barriers are often cited as obstacles to equitable dementia care for older migrants, their nature and impact remain underexplored. Research on how home language input may support the mental and cognitive health of people with dementia (PWD) in migrant communities is particularly scarce.
The CAREful about language project aims to improve dementia care for migrants and their caregivers by generating scientific insights into their language needs as a foundation for person-centred care. As a PhD candidate (1.0 fte), you work closely with supervisors, a fellow PhD student, a project assistant, and societal partners to advance this mission.
You are one of two PhD students driving change in migrant dementia care, contributing primarily to the CARE to Talk work package. You examine how person-centered language care plans and home language input affect the psychosocial and cognitive health of migrant PWD in residential care. In co-creation with migrant PWD and their informal caregivers, you develop the first ever template for person-centered care plans that incorporate language backgrounds and preferences.
Over four years, you apply interdisciplinary methods from linguistics, medical, and social sciences to:
- Assess the longitudinal effects of language care plans on migrant PWD.
- Examine impacts on informal and formal caregivers.
- Test the effects of home language input as part of reminiscence therapy.
Who are you?
For this position we are looking for someone with:
- A (Research) Master’s degree in any area related to the project, with a preference for a background in Applied Linguistics.
- Excellent academic written and oral skills in English.
- An additional native-like command of any migrant language(s) in the Netherlands. This may include but is not limited to Turkish, Moroccan Berber or Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Polish, Chinese, etc.
- Familiarity with longitudinal research designs, reflexive thematic analysis tools, and statistical analysis in R.
- A clear vision of the added value of interdisciplinary team science.
What can you expect from us?
- In accordance with the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities, we offer a salary of at least € 3.059 up to a maximum of € 3.881 (promovendus) gross per month for a full-time employment contract.
- 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
- End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
- Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.
- A temporary 1.0 FTE appointment for a specified period of four years. The candidate will first be appointed for twelve months. After 11 months, an assessment will take place of the candidate’s results and the progress of the PhD project, in order to decide whether employment will be continued. The PhD candidate is expected to conduct 0.4 FTE of teaching, spread over the second, third and fourth years of their appointment. We ask that the PhD candidate is willing to move and reside in the north of the Netherlands.
Where will you be working?
At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.
The Faculty of Arts is a large and dynamic faculty located in the heart of the city of Groningen. More than 5,500 students and 900 staff work every day at the frontiers of knowledge. The Faculty offers a diverse range of academic programmes, with 16 Bachelor’s programmes and over 40 Master’s programmes. With its strong international orientation, the Faculty conducts research in fields including archaeology, cultural studies, history, international relations, journalism, literature, and linguistics. If you would like to learn more about the Faculty of Arts, visit rug.nl/let.
Programme
As a PhD candidate, you will join the Bilingualism and Aging Lab (BALAB). The Lab, led by PI Merel Keijzer, currently comprises three other staff members, one postdoc and eight other PhD candidates. It is embedded within the Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG) and in particular the CLCG’s Neurolinguistics and Language Development (NLD) research group. In addition to the graduate training offered through the Graduate School Humanities (GSH), you will be enrolled in the training programme offered by the Research School of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN).
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Application procedure
After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation by email.
The selection committee assesses your application and you will be notified as soon as possible whether you are invited for an interview.
We would like to get to know each other better in a first interview, which can take place either online or on location.
We may schedule a second interview with you. Depending on the position, this interview can be complemented with an assessment or guest lecture.
After a positive interview, we will discuss the terms of employment together. When everything is completed, we are happy to welcome you at the University of Groningen!
Interested?
Does this vacancy appeal to you? If so, click on the button below and apply straightaway.
Please add the following documents to your application:
- Letter of motivation.
- Curriculum Vitae.
- Copies of (Re)Master diploma and list of grades. If you have not yet obtained your (Re)Master diploma, please also provide a written statement from your thesis supervisor commenting on performance and expected date of completion.
- Copy of (Re)Master thesis or (only in case the thesis is not yet completed) another sample of written work.
- Contact information of two academic referees.
Please send in your application in English as two PDF files (one for the (Re)Master thesis or other writing sample, and one for all other documents). Please submit the merged application under the ‘Letter of motivation’ and the thesis under ‘Extra attachment’.
The selection interviews will take place in the week starting on 20 April 2026. During this interview you are asked to provide a brief (5-minute max) pitch detailing the ways in which you think you can uniquely contribute to the project. A more elaborate project description can be found here. The selected candidate is expected to start in August, 2026. We allow 3 months from selection in case of VISA applications.
Do you have any questions or need more information?
-
Questions about the content of the job?
Merel Keijzer
Full Professor
M.C.J.Keijzer@rug.nl -
Questions about your application process?
Marjolein Talsma
Teacher
m.w.talsma@rug.nl
Information about applying
When scheduling meetings, we will take your schedule into account as much as possible.
The University of Groningen considers social safety important. We strive to be a university where staff and students feel respected and at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identity. For more information, see also our page about our diversity policy.
Acquisition is not appreciated.
Onze selectieprocedure volgt de richtlijnen van de NVP Sollicitatiecode
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