Research Fellow (1-year contract), SMU Urban Institute

Responsibilities The SMU Urban Institute, launched in early 2024, is a university-level research institute dedicated to advancing an interdisciplinary research agenda. Leveraging SMU's strategic position as a dynamic management university in Singapore's city centre, the Institute aims to make a meaningful impact through the study of Asian cities. We are currently seeking individuals with specific skillsets to support the various ongoing research projects at the Institute. We are searching for a Research Fellow (RF) to work with the Lead PI of a project on "Inclusive AI Governance in Southeast Asian Cities". The project will last four years, and will involve fieldwork in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The project seeks to better understand inclusive AI governance in holistic terms, by which we mean consideration of both its upstream and downstream formulations and effects. As much of the work will be interdisciplinary in scope, candidates with academic backgrounds in a broad range of social science disciplines are welcome to apply. These include, but are not limited to, geography, anthropology, sociology, environmental studies, and more. Candidates with qualitative and/or quantitative skillsets are welcome to apply. The RF will work closely with the PI to execute the project. The job scope involves: Qualitative research: building and maintaining a database of contacts; (snowball) sampling; conducting interviews; transcribing, coding, and analysing interview data. Quantitative research: liaising with panel providers; survey design; project management; data cleaning and analysis. Conducting primary fieldwork in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bangkok. Project management: coordinating amongst project PIs; assisting the Lead PI with administrative tasks like IRB approvals; organising stakeholder workshops in Singapore and overseas; liaising with internal and external project stakeholders; annual project reporting. Publishing: drafting papers for publication in top-tier academic journals; developing and delivering the final project outputs. People management: managing research assistants, student assistants, and fieldwork assistants. Any other ad hoc tasks that will contribute to the success of the project. Qualifications A PhD in the field of Urban Studies, Human/Urban Geography, Urban Sociology, Anthropology, Southeast Asian Studies, or another cognate field is required. The successful applicant will ideally have: Excellent qualitative research skills. Excellent written communication skills (demonstrated through published work). A demonstrated interest in issues related to thematic debates concerning smart cities, platform urbanism, urban development, urban infrastructure, (Southeast) Asia, and so on.