iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

We are recruiting a lab manager for our new Psycholinguistics Lab in Oxford! Good opportunity for young researchers, e.g., post-bac/masters. Open to applicants from the UK or abroad. Full details here: my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

Photo of a statue outside Oxford's Sheldonian Theatre

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

I am very happy about this news. Jericho Wharf is literally at the bottom of our street. Worcester College is where I was as an undergraduate. This will open up access to the beautiful Oxford Canal, and the college is not looking to make a quick buck. They are in it for the long haul.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Another Oxford postdoc opportunity - come work with me or any of my colleagues. This scheme requires a prior UK connection. Internal deadline: July 8. www.ling-phil.ox.ac.uk/news/2026/05...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Correct. That link will be updated very shortly once HR has done its magic. We wanted to get the basic information out to people ASAP, to give them more time to consider it.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

We are looking to fill an open-rank position in Sociolinguistics in Oxford, in conjunction with Worcester College. Come be a part of the exciting developments in language and linguistics in Oxford! www.ling-phil.ox.ac.uk/news/2026/05...

Picture of the main quad at Worcester College, Oxford

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Interested in spending 3-12 months with us in Oxford as a senior visiting academic? The Leverhulme Trust has a scheme to help. Get in touch with an Oxford colleague soon, as the internal deadline for interest is on Apr 17. www.leverhulme.ac.uk/visiting-pro...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Postdoc opportunity with any of my Oxford colleagues funded by the British Academy. Expressions of interest due next week! www.humanities.ox.ac.uk/british-acad...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Really looking forward to having Danijela as another great language colleague in Oxford … and better yet that she’ll be joining me at @somervillecollege.bsky.social

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

We celebrate! It’s the week when our ideas become clearer and pithier.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

This is also poorly understood in Europe (especially my current corner of it). They equate US strength in higher ed to the Ivies, and don’t realize that it’s the big publics where so much of the action is.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Pass it to the professionals. You have made an honest and humane effort.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 09/11/2025

Good questions! The rules are in the Leverhulme call, they’re not our rules. I think applying before the defense is likely ok. UK connection seems to mean *some* UK degree, or currently working in the UK.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Opportunity for early career researchers to spend 3 years working with us in Oxford. Cool surroundings, interesting people. Eligibility: need some UK academic connection. Get in touch if interested! Details: www.ling-phil.ox.ac.uk/news/2025/11...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

So true! Great that you could join the fun!

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 21/09/2025

Looking forward to seeing this cool new building take shape, joining the wild architectural mash-up at the top of my street.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

I have often wished there was a way to track reviewing - also as a way to reward thoughtful reviewing. Not too optimistic. ... But I tend to regard invitations as an editor's request for alternate suggestions. I often can't do the review myself, but I can point them to people they're not aware of.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Y’all do such good reporting. Why debase yourselves with this (repeat) slop? Oxford is a great place to walk! But the measure used here is not much related to what folks mean by “walkable city”.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Yes, the detail is fabulous! The version at the National Library of Scotland is even better. Not only can you zoom way in, and also use a nifty side-by-side view to align with current satellite maps. maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/...

maps.nls.uk

Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

This is great ... and it feels like the seed for another series like Housing Week. Why can't the trains to Banbury run as often as the trains to Ely? Why (the heck) are different authorities handling the east and west sides of the station building? And so on.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Another department I work in uses letters very differently. They’re used as a source of often helpful “contextual data”. They’re rarely decisive for applicants who already have lots of advantages. But they often flag potential that might otherwise get overlooked. So, it matters how they’re used.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

On further reflection, it makes a big difference how they’re used. One department I work in basically does a rough sentiment analysis on the letters and translates those vibes into a number for a scoring rubric. I think that’s a good use of letters at all!

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

My experience, from reading thousands of letters over nearly 30 years, in different countries, is that the vast majority of writers have integrity, and are not good at faking. Empty fluff certainly exists, but it is obvious to see, and easily ignored.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

This seems to be a currently popular view. But it’s peer review. It’s what we use all the time in our professions. Why should it be uniquely ineffective when we are giving assessments of our students? Letters aren’t perfect. Nothing is. But they’re another useful tool.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

We totally read the letters for applicants to our masters programmes. Some don’t know how to write informative letters. But the ones that do really help. We’re in a field where students come from very diverse backgrounds. That may make letters more useful.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

What’s the status of the £7M in funding that your earlier article said would expire in March ‘25?

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

So, if there is a potential red flag that you think is explainable, that's where your external expertise is most helpful. E.g., it's pretty normal for people starting an electrophysiology lab to have a publication gap, due to long lead times. I'll often contextualize things like that.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

In most cases, it doesn't much matter where the endorsement sits on the scale from positive to glowing. Committees don't take the average temperature of the external letters. They won't say, "All were positive, just not positive enough." They give most attention to potential red flags.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Two easy ways to make this point. (1) Say they would get this promotion at your own institution, ideally with real life comps. (2) Say "This person compares favorably to X and Y, who were recently promoted to this level at institutions A and B (which the candidate's institution sees as a peer).

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Thanks for this thread! A couple of my own takes. If it's a straightforward positive case, your job is just to provide one or two pull quotes for the summary report. No need to overcomplicate. Committees want evidence that disciplinary standards are upheld, relative to institutions they respect.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Seems like we have shared history as lapsed believers with close family ties to Christian rock music. Though I wouldn't pretend for a moment to be a hipster. Gotta compare notes some time.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

It’s interesting how the university is trying to wring as much publicity from this as possible. But uprooting one’s life is hard. And few will be able to move. The real action may be in the decisions of younger, less established, more mobile scholars. Less flashy. Bigger long term impact.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

More postdoc opportunities in Oxford! 3-year British Academy Fellowships, for start in 2026. For work in any area of linguistics. Expressions of Interest (brief!) for internal competition due July 28. www.ling-phil.ox.ac.uk/news/2025/06...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

£10 million at £2/night amounts to 13,700 overnight stays per day, 365 days per year. That’s about 5 times the hotel inventory in Oxford. Something doesn’t add up.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Some of my younger colleagues stay in college rooms a couple of nights per week, as they can’t afford to live locally. Would they face a tourist tax?

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

You do great reporting at The Clarion. So why cite rankings based on dumb measures? “The 5 top attractions are close” doesn’t fit most people’s idea of “most walkable”. Oxford really is walkable. But not for that reason!

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

I tried out the County Council survey. A remarkably leading set of questions. If they are doing this to show that they are listening to residents, that plan might just backfire.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

I *so* needed this for a talk that I gave earlier today!

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Yet another open-rank position in language in Oxford! This one is in Applied Linguistics. You get to join Oxford's excellent Dept of Education, and also be my colleague at the fabulous @somervillecollege.bsky.social , which I cannot recommend too highly. Details: my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Finally sharing this video of my inaugural lecture, 1 year ago today. Such a treat to get to tell the story about things and people that I care about, with many of them in the audience. ... If I sound a bit rattled, that was due to the loud protest right outside. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM3-...

youtube.com

Colin Phillips Inaugural Lecture, Oxford University

YouTube video by Colin Phillips

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

I recently returned to Europe after decades away. I meet a lot of people who have moved from the US. I think there’s more scope for success in recruiting younger scientists and grad students. But I am impressed by the adaptability that I see in academic migrants. Same as the migrants to the US.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Really excited that Devyani will soon be joining us in Oxford, strengthening connections between English and Linguistics. www.ling-phil.ox.ac.uk/news/2025/05...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Interested in spending a couple of years in Oxford as a Marie Curie postdoc? It's a great environment to develop your research career (and a wonderful place to live). Expressions of interest due June 2nd. Contact potential mentors now. Details: www.humanities.ox.ac.uk/marie-sklodo...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

Nice pictures! I was enjoying the sound of the band from my rear deck!

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Come join us in Oxford as we move into our new home in the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities (opening Oct '25). We are looking to fill THREE fixed-term lecturer positions: in Semantics/Pragmatics, Psycholinguistics, and Linguistics with French. www.ling-phil.ox.ac.uk/news/2025/05...

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

You are so right about the contrast. I always assumed it was the different media landscapes. A UK politician has no option to not speak to the BBC (or Sky). It's no big deal if a US politician stops talking to one of the countless media outlets. So the media has less leverage.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Wouldn't this be a bit non-targeted for a city where the vast majority of tourism is day-trippers, and where the scarcity of overnight accommodation puts pressure on housing prices for all residents?

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

It’s no accident that so many UMD language scientists have won these awards over the years. As they say, culture eats policy for breakfast. Also, Rachel is the BEST. So well deserved.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

It’s an open goal. And yet they/we might miss it. 🤦‍♂️

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

I was sorry to miss this event at Planet Word Museum featuring Mark Seidenberg and Maryellen MacDonald. Great to see that it’s now available to watch online.

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Colin Phillips @colinphillips.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Looking to get away for a while? The Leverhulme Visiting Professorships scheme could fund a senior academic to spend 3-12 months in Oxford doing research, teaching, and more. Get in touch if interested! www.leverhulme.ac.uk/visiting-pro...

Picture of Merton College Chapel at night

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