Research Assistant for IIMU’s Consumer Culture Lab

IIM Udaipur; Udaipur District; On-site; INR 400,000 - 600,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Research seminars

PhD guidance & letters of support

Workshops and coursework

Job summary

IIM Udaipur's Consumer Culture Lab is seeking a Research Assistant with a strong interest in qualitative research to support faculty on consumer culture projects. The position emphasizes potential Ph.D.

pathways and provides mentorship, seminars, and opportunities for research collaboration. The RA will assist in data collection, analysis, literature reviews, and manuscript preparation, while potentially contributing to content for Lab outreach and events.

Qualifications

• Motivation to pursue a Ph.D. in Marketing or related fields.
• Deep interest in qualitative research with openness to learn new concepts.
• Prior training in qualitative research methods is essential.
• Willingness to learn and adapt to new skills and concepts.
• Excellent English communication skills in writing and speaking.
• Strong work standards: attention to detail, multitasking, task completion.
• Background in Anthropology/Sociology or qualitative research experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Aid faculty in participant recruitment and data collection using qualitative methods.
• Systematically maintain project data including interview recordings and notes.
• Independently perform qualitative data analysis with training provided.
• Conduct literature reviews and summarize findings in reports or presentations.
• Assist in writing research proposals, abstracts, and manuscript drafts.
• Manage Lab's social media handles and create short articles on consumer culture in India.
• Support events like podcasts, webinars, and research programs.

Skills

Qualitative research interest

English communication

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Willingness to learn

Education

Anthropology/Sociology background

Job description

Research Assistant for IIMU's Consumer Culture Lab

ABOUT THE CONSUMER CULTURE LAB:

The Consumer Culture Lab (CCL) at IIM Udaipur (https://cclab.iimu.ac.in) comprises faculty, researchers, students and alumni of IIM Udaipur, with global academics, committed to producing knowledge on various aspects of consumer culture in India.

There exists consensus, in academia and in the business world, for more research on non- western, rapidly changing contexts like India. Given India’s diversity, CCL aims to spotlight the 'multiple voices' of the Indian consumer, and provide accessible insights to academia and industry.

POSITION:

The Consumer Culture Lab (CCL) at IIM Udaipur (https://cclab.iimu.ac.in) is looking for one passionate and highly motivated qualitative researcher to join the Lab as a Research Assistant (RA). You will be expected to help Prof. Ankur Kapoor and Prof. Rajesh Nanarpuzha (Co-Chairs, CCL) with research projects in CCL (primarily in the domain of consumer culture). You will also be expected to work on other initiatives of CCL.

BENEFITS:

IIMU is a research-focused institution. You may attend regular research seminars by resident and visiting faculty, in which they present their working papers for feedback and discussion. You may also attend PhD-level coursework and workshops offered at IIMU (e.g., qualitative research methods, consumer culture theory, and adventures of theory building). As part of your work, you will get a better understanding of the working of a Research Lab

Salaries are competitive with similar positions in India. Further, the faculty will encourage you to initiate your own research and will be amenable to providing recommendation letters and guidance for applying for Ph.D. programs at top universities internationally.

In the last 3-4 years, IIMU's RAs have secured Ph.D. admission offers from some of the best research universities in the world, including Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management, Penn State University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Pittsburgh, University of Maryland, University of Georgia, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, University of Connecticut, Georgia Institute of Technology, Kansas State University, University of Memphis, Western University - Ivey Business School (Canada), and London School of Economics and Political Science (UK).

BEST MATCH:

You should consider yourself a good fit for this position if you are interested in a career in academia, and more specifically, if your research interests are at the intersection of anthropology/sociology and Marketing/consumption, AND you are seriously considering pursuing a Ph.D. in Marketing or related fields. This position will help you get some hands-
on academic research experience before starting your Ph.D. journey. You will be expected to assist faculty on their qualitative research projects (primarily in the broad domain of consumer culture). The skills you acquire and/or develop in the process will help you in applying for the top doctoral programs in Marketing and other related fields. You should be self-motivated to take ownership of the research work assigned to you.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

This position is in an academic setting. Your job responsibilities will include:

• Aiding the faculty in participant recruitment and/or data collection using qualitative methods like in-depth interviews, observation/ethnography and netnography.
• Systematically maintaining the project data (e.g., interview recordings, field notes), including interview translation and/or transcription.
• Independently carrying out qualitative data analysis (you will be trained on analysis method/approach as per the project requirement).
• Conducting comprehensive literature reviews on assigned topics, including summarizing the relevant literature in a Word report and/or PowerPoint presentation.
• Assisting in the writing of: (1) research proposals (for grant applications), (2) extended abstracts (for conference submissions), and/or (3) manuscript drafts (for journal submissions).
• Managing social media handles of the Lab
• Creation of content and writing of short articles on consumer culture issues in India
• Operational activities involved in events conducted by CCL (e.g. podcasts, webinars, research programs etc.)

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

We are looking for one hardworking, sincere, and self-motivated individual who is interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in Marketing or related fields. Prior training in, or at least some exposure to, qualitative research methodology is essential. Additionally, basic understanding of quantitative methods is desirable, though not necessary. The faculty will be willing to provide additional training and guidance to the candidate to ensure that they are able to carry out the assigned work efficiently, but they must have a strong interest in qualitative research, with a basic aptitude for quantitative research. The recruited RA will primarily assist in projects that aim to enhance the understanding of consumer culture and consumption. To this end, it would be an advantage to have an educational background in anthropology, sociology, or related social science fields. Candidates not having such an educational background but with prior experience in market research (and have worked on qualitative projects) are also strongly encouraged to apply. Highly motivated candidates from all backgrounds are welcome to apply if they are seriously interested in qualitative research.

Required:

• Motivation to pursue a Ph.D. in Marketing or related fields.
• Deep interest in and aptitude for qualitative research.
• Prior training in, or at least some basic familiarity with, qualitative research methods.
• An open mind to learn new concepts and skills.
• Excellent English communication skills (both writing and speaking fluency).
• High standards of work quality – specifically, we want our RAs to exhibit: (1) attention to detail, (2) ability to multitask, and (3) absolute commitment to task completion.
• A background in Anthropology/Sociology or relevant qualitative research experience in a prior role.
• Speaking and writing fluency in Indian languages other than English (e.g., Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi).

JOB LOCATION:

IIMU campus, Balicha, Udaipur
The RA position is contractual for 12 months and could be renewed for a further period of 12 months, enabling the candidate to build their research profile for Ph.D. applications. Each RA is expected to move on to a strong Ph.D. program at the end of two years.