The University of Gothenburg Recruiting Two More International Top Researchers

The Swedish Research Council has been commissioned by the Swedish government to help Swedish higher education institutions offer internationally leading researchers long-term funding in Sweden. The University of Gothenburg has already received two such grants, and the recent decision means that another two are in the pipeline. One amounts to SEK 109 million for the recruitment of computational linguist Shalom Lappin from King’s College London, UK, and the other, worth SEK 80 million, is for the recruitment of philosopher Paul Russell from the University of British Columbia, Canada. The University of Gothenburg is contributing SEK 55 million and SEK 36 million, respectively. Both grants are for ten years.

Lappin and Russell will move their research to the University of Gothenburg, where they will be located in the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science.

‘We are very happy that the Swedish Research Council will support the recruitment of these two world-leading scholars. Shalom Lappin will bring an entirely new perspective on languages and learning, a perspective that combines different research traditions in an innovative way. The recruitment of Paul Russell implies a considerable reinforcement of already successful research initiatives linked to different perspectives on moral responsibility, with respect to both theoretical basic research and practical application,’ says Vice-Chancellor Pam Fredman.

Shalom Lappin’s research

‘The Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science offers a wonderfully stimulating environment for my research in computational linguistics and I have been working closely with colleagues in Gothenburg over the past two years. The strong connections between language technology at the University of Gothenburg and at Chalmers will greatly facilitate the practical applications of our theoretical research. This is a remarkable opportunity which I greatly appreciate. I am very excited about coming to Gothenburg,’ says Lappin.

Lappin is recruited to the University of Gothenburg to lead the Centre for Linguistic Theory and Studies in Probability (CLASP), which brings together linguists and computational linguists as well as philosophers, logicians and computer scientists. He will also develop collaboration with other related scientific centres. Lappin’s research spans theoretical linguistics, theoretical philosophy, computational linguistics and semantics, and he has a well-documented ability to attract scholars from other research institutions and to build creative research environments. He has in recent years developed ground-breaking research on central issues concerning human language, language learning and cognition, and this work will be of central importance for CLASP.

Paul Russell’s research

‘The support presents an unique opportunity to build a truly top class research group which I hope will rapidly establish itself as a leading centre for the study of issues relating to moral responsibility in Europe and beyond. It also implies excellent conditions for my own research, as well as an opportunity to complete a major book project I have worked on for several years. Finally, I have read and heard wonderful things about the cultural and intellectual life at Gothenburg and I have the firm impression that both the city and the university will provide a highly stimulating and lively environment to live and work in,’ says Russell. ‘I am delighted and very grateful to be given this exciting opportunity.’ says Russell.

Paul Russell is recruited to the University of Gothenburg to develop the research environment Moral Responsibility Research Initiative. The recruitment of Russell will help the University establish a research environment with strong international impact. His research concerns primarily free will and moral responsibility, and complements MRRI’s already existing applied-ethical and meta-ethical research in the area. He is also a world-leading expert on David Hume and will contribute to Swedish research within history of philosophy.

Four grants to the University of Gothenburg for the recruitment of top researchers

These are the third and fourth grants that the University of Gothenburg has received from the Swedish Research Council for the recruitment of top researchers. In December 2013, the Council decided to grant SEK 118 million for the recruitment of diabetes researcher Patrik Rorsman, University of Oxford, and in April this year, SEK 131 million was granted for the recruitment of political scientist Ellen Lust, Yale University. The total value of the four grants is SEK 438 million.

For more information, please contact:

• Pam Fredman, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gothenburg, tel. +46 (0)76 618 63 90, e-mail: ann-charlotte.schutzer@gu.se
• Fredrik Bragesjö, Associate Head of Department for Research at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, tel. +46 (0)766 184 938, e-mail: fredrik.bragesjö@gu.se
• Shalom Lappin, Professor, e-mail: shalom.lappin@kcl.ac.uk, tel. +44 20 7848 2541, +44 7703 573050
• Paul Russell, Professor, e-post: paul.russell@ubc.ca, tel. + 1 604 822-3292, Skype: paul.russell547 (please keep in mind the time difference between Europe and west Canada).