Hermann Paul Scholarship in Linguistics 2026 / 2027
The Hermann Paul School of Linguistics (HPSL) at the University of Basel (Switzerland) and the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg (Germany) is offering one scholarship for a PhD candidate in Basel, starting between March 1st and April 1st, 2027.
The PhD can be done in the following subjects: English Linguistics, German Linguistics, Ibero-Romance / Spanish Linguistics. The graduate program is internationally recognized and presents inter-university collaboration. As a PhD candidate, you will be part of a lively and active research community located in the upper Rhine region. As part of this community, your PhD project should constructively add to the research environment.
The prerequisite for your application is a good to excellent degree (MA or equivalent; minimum MA mark: a 5 out of 6 in the Swiss system) in the field of language sciences.
Funding rates for the scholarships at the University of Basel are in line with regulations of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). Scholarships are granted for one year and may be subject to an extension of up to two years with successful project development.
Scholarships are awarded based on the quality of your outline of your research interests and PhD project: applications without an outline will not be considered. Please inform yourself about the research areas at the HPSL beforehand and get in touch with your preferred first supervisor as soon as possible. Please note that PhD scholarships at the University of Basel must be supervised by a first supervisor affiliated with the respective university which grants the scholarship (Basel). Accordingly, for this year's call for proposals, only the following persons are available as possible first supervisors: PD. Dr. Zeynep Köylü, Prof. Dr. Miriam Locher, Prof. Dr. Martin Luginbühl und Prof. Dr. Sandra Schlumpf-Thurnherr. In principle, requests for a second supervisor may be directed to any professor at HPSL (second supervisors from outside HPSL are also possible).
- a letter of motivation (max. 2 pages)
- an outline of your research interests and PhD project (max. 5 pages, excluding bibliographic references)
- your curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages)
- copies of educational certificates (please note: in Basel the requirement for entering the PhD program is a "good" or "excellent" degree)
- a writing sample (seminar paper or master thesis on a linguistic topic)
- a document with two names of referees. Ideally, the referees should be a professor, a junior professor or another member of university staff with the right to supervise a PhD. In addition, ask one of the referees to send a letter of recommendation that contains information on your expertise and potential in linguistics directly to philipp.dankel@unibas.ch by the application deadline.
- if available: confirmations of internships, language proficiency and conference participation
The closing date for applications is December 07, 2026. The selection process will take place in January, and acceptances and refusals will be sent out by the beginning of February.
You can start the electronic application process on the HPSL homepage at: https://www.hpsl-linguistics.org/scholarships/hermann-paul-scholarship-in-linguistics-2026-2027/
For questions, please refer to: Dr. Philipp Dankel (philipp.dankel@unibas.ch)
