Research Associate

2 days ago

Bengaluru, India Ashoka University Full-time

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Job Title: Research Associate, System 3

Reports to: A Pre-Doctoral Fellow, with a System 3 Principal Investigator as overall mentor

Location: Bengaluru

Experience (in years): At least 1 year of paid, full-time work experience

Nature of work: Full-time, fixed term of 12 months, with potential for renewal

About the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change

At the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), we bring together behavioural scientists, policy experts, and researchers to develop novel insights and catalyse action. We partner with governments, non-profits, and corporations to embed behavioural science in programme design, creating solutions that work in practice and at scale. Established by Ashoka University with Gates Foundation support, we make development more people-centric through real-world applications of behavioural science. In recent years, CSBC researchers have contributed 25 peer-reviewed articles to top journals, advancing the nation’s behavioural evidence base and catalysing collaborations with leading institutions such as the University of Chicago, Yale School of Management, the University of Michigan, the Collegio Carlo Alberto, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For more information, please visit https://csbc.org.in/.

About System 3

System 3 is a new research lab under the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC). It will rest on two pillars.

Basic science, from India: Most of what the world knows about how people think, trust and decide comes from a few narrow populations. India, with its range of languages, identities and institutions, is where those claims can be properly tested. We will run foundational, curiosity-driven research on cognition, judgement and behaviour, to learn which findings travel and which were only ever local. We take inspiration from the MIT Media Lab: open, accessible and joyful in the pursuit of credible science.

AI and Behaviour: System 1 and System 2 describe the fast and slow thinking of the human mind, both shaped by the social and institutional worlds around us. System 3 will ask what happens to that mind in the age of AI. How do we learn, judge, trust and decide when intelligent machines are part of everyday life? What do we gain, and what do we quietly give away? This will be a major focus of our research agenda.

The two pillars will reinforce each other. Understanding the human mind in all its diversity will let us study how AI changes it.

We are a small team, early in our journey, based in Bengaluru. We are looking for people who like building something from scratch, who take ownership without waiting to be asked, and who are as comfortable rolling up their sleeves as thinking big.

Role and Responsibilities

System 3 is hiring Research Associates to be the engine of the lab. The Associates will run studies, work with data and help bring the lab’s research to life, learning how rigorous behavioural science is done from the Pre-Doctoral Fellows they work with every day. The role suits someone who is curious about research and about how people think and decide, and who wants to learn by doing it in a small, ambitious team. Reporting to a Pre-Doctoral Fellow, the Associates will be part of the lab’s core team.

What the Research Associates will do:

Run studies
- Set up experiment sessions, run them with participants and collect data carefully and accurately.
- Keep materials, schedules and records organised so that every study runs smoothly.
Bring people into the lab
- Support the recruiting participants, scheduling sessions, and keeping participants coming back.
- Reach out to the wider public to invite them to take part in research.
Work with data
- Clean, organise and analyse data under guidance, using AI tools where useful and checking what they produce.
- Document every step so that others can check the work and build on it.
Support the science
- Search for and summarise research papers.
- Help prepare study materials, figures and drafts for the Pre-Doc Fellows and Principal Investigators.
Open the lab to the curious
- Help organise public lectures and discussions on behavioural and cognitive science.
- Welcome anyone who is curious, whether or not they have a science background.

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in any discipline that shows quantitative ability or strong analytical reasoning, for example philosophy, a pure science, computer science, economics or engineering. Candidates without a quantitative background should be willing to learn basic statistics and programming, with support from the lab.
At least 1 year of paid, full-time work experience in any field is required. Experience in research, AI or an applied behavioural science field is preferred.

Technical Skills

Data analysis in Python, R, Stata or Matlab, or the ability to pick it up quickly.
Using agentic AI tools for research (coding, analysis, literature work), and protecting the team from hallucinations.

Desirable

Associates work with different Principal Investigators and projects, so we do not expect any one person to have every skill below. Strong candidates will have the Required skills plus some of the Desirable skills for social sciences or cognitive sciences or AI.

Any area

Data collection through Qualtrics, SurveyCTO, oTree, z-Tree or similar.
Familiarity with regression and basic statistics.
Adapting tasks and measures across languages and populations (translation, back-translation).

Economics and sociology projects

Experience with survey or field data, and regression analysis of it.
Familiarity with running economic or social experiments.

Psychology and cognitive science projects

Programming behavioural experiments in PsychoPy, jsPsych or lab.js, including online studies (for example Pavlovia).
Familiarity with cognitive tasks and measures (reaction time, accuracy, memory or attention tasks).

Professional Skills

A structured, analytical thinker with a working understanding of causal reasoning, such as why correlation is not causation and why control groups matter.
Curiosity about how people think and decide. Candidates who have not formally studied human behaviour should be very curious about it.
Eagerness to learn, and openness to guidance and feedback from the Pre-Doc Fellows.
Careful, organised and reliable, with attention to detail.
Comfort with reaching out to people and encouraging them to take part in research, or a real willingness to learn how.
A preference for flat teams, where a good idea counts for more than a title.
Willingness to do whatever a research start-up needs, from running sessions to setting up a room for a public talk.

Application Submission Process

We invite you to embark on this journey by submitting your application to the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change. To ensure your candidacy receives the attention it deserves, kindly follow the application submission process outlined below:

Prepare Your Materials: Please put together the following.
An updated CV: Showcase your professional accomplishments, skills, and experiences.
A concise cover letter: In no more than one page, explain why you are applying and which of your skills you expect to rely on in your first month on the job.
A professional referee: In your email mention the name and email address of a manager or colleague who can speak to your work (a professional, not an academic, reference). We will contact referees only after screening CVs, so please let them know we may be in touch.

Submit Your Application: Email your materials to careersatcsbc@ashoka.edu.in, ensuring the subject line reads as follows: “RA_System 3_”. Make sure your surname is included in the titles of all attachments. This will help us efficiently process your application.

Include Essential Details: Along with your materials, kindly provide the following information:
Last compensation received: We value your expertise and acknowledge the importance of fair compensation.
Expected salary: Share your aspirations for growth and remuneration.
Notice period: Inform us of the time required to transition from your current role, if applicable.

Pursuit of Excellence: At Ashoka University, we strive for excellence in all aspects of our operations. Therefore, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted as part of our rigorous selection process.

Adherence to Deadlines: Applications should be submitted by 25 October 2026, 5:00 pm IST. While late applications will not be considered, eligible applications may be reviewed and shortlisted on a rolling basis prior to the deadline.

We look forward to receiving your application as we embark together on a remarkable journey of professional growth and development. Join our exceptional community at Ashoka University, where excellence is nurtured, and aspirations are transformed into reality.

https://csbc.org.in/ careersatcsbc@ashoka.edu.in

ABOUT ASHOKA UNIVERSITY

Ashoka University is India's premier interdisciplinary higher education and research-focused institution, offering world-class opportunities in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Established in 2014 by leaders, thinkers, academics, and philanthropists from diverse fields, it operates on a unique model of collective philanthropy, integrating exemplary governance standards with cutting-edge pedagogy and a faculty body of international acclaim.

Today, the University has a community of 3000+ students and operates seven Schools imparting industry-oriented education, professional skills, and values-based learning to prepare students for global careers. The University espouses principles of inclusivity and diversity, having more than 57% women, 4% international scholars, 100+ students with disabilities, and over 47% students on scholarships. Since its inception, Rs 723 crores have been awarded in scholarships with over 2,000 students receiving full-tuition fee waivers cumulatively and 5400+ students being supported through scholarships. In addition, nearly 5500 of Ashoka's alumni are pursuing careers of their choice in reputed organisations and leading universities across the world.

Ashoka University continues to reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive institution of excellence in teaching and research, nurturing responsible leaders for India and the world. In 2025, Ashoka University was honoured with the 'University of the Year (Emerging)' award at the 20th FICCI Higher Education Summit 2025 - one of India's notable industry platforms celebrating excellence in academia and innovation. The University also secured the first position in the Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) 2025 in two prestigious categories.

The Ashoka advantage will continue to equip its students with the skills to see the big picture - to critically analyse, question, interpret, craft compelling arguments, and find sustainable solutions. It is a collective effort towards nation-building. This is where tomorrow's leaders are born.

Check out the Ashoka Website to know more : https://www.ashoka.edu.in/

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