Research Assistant (Built Environment & Behaviour) - NUS Cities

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

National University of Singapore invites applications for a Research Assistant (Built Environment & Behaviour) within NUS Cities. This role leads qualitative research across CA-ACM, integrating with quantitative and geospatial workstreams to understand how the built environment shapes daily life.

The successful candidate will apply qualitative methods, coordinate interdisciplinary teams, and contribute to policy-relevant outputs and academic presentations.

Qualifications

• Strong qualitative research experience with ability to plan, conduct, analyse, and communicate research involving human participants.
• Ability to understand and interpret quantitative, survey, geospatial, and activity-modelling findings.
• Experience in interdisciplinary research teams and collaboration with partners.
• Familiarity with Singapore’s built environment, communities, or public-sector context is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full qualitative research process, including study design, selection of qualitative and mixed methods, fieldwork, analysis, and interpretation.
• Apply knowledge of the built environment and human behaviour to develop and refine the evaluation framework for community assets and attractiveness.
• Lead qualitative studies and contribute to surveys to validate archetypes and activity chains from big-data modelling.
• Collaborate with researchers in geospatial analysis, urban analytics, and data science to align questions and synthesize findings.
• Publish research in academic journals and present at conferences; contribute to reports for policy and practitioners.
• Coordinate qualitative research activities, assist in project reporting and stakeholder engagement, and mentor team members as needed.

Skills

Qualitative research

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Academic writing

Data interpretation

Project coordination

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

NVivo

Job description

Research Assistant (Built Environment & Behaviour) - NUS Cities

Job Title: Research Assistant (Built Environment & Behaviour) - NUS Cities University-Level Unit: College of Design and Engineering Faculty/Department-Level Unit: Architecture Employee Category: Research Staff Location_ONB: Kent Ridge Campus Posting Start Date: 06/10/2026

Job Description

NUS Cities is a university-wide, interdisciplinary entity hosted within the College of Design and Engineering, serving as an open and inclusive collaborative platform spanning Education, Research, and Advisory Services. The Cities Foresight Lab (CFL) is a growing multi-disciplinary research group at NUS Cities, operating at the intersection of urban planning, governance, and strategic insight.

The Community Assets and Activity Chain Modelling (CA-ACM) project is a research study commissioned by the Health Promotion Board to investigate how Singapore’s built environment shapes residents’ daily activities and lifestyle patterns. The project aims to identify features of the built environment that make active living intuitive and natural; develop composite indicators to measure and rank the attractiveness of different urban settings for various population groups; and uncover how these environmental features influence the type of physical activities people choose to engage in. The project brings together experts in urban studies, data science, public health, and social science research to surface evidence-based insights and design strategies that promote more active living.

We seek a motivated and talented Research Fellow or Research Assistant to lead the project’s qualitative research and connect its qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial workstreams. The successful candidate should bring strong domain knowledge of the relationships between the built environment, human behaviour, and community life. Depending on experience and appointment level, the candidate may also take on broader project leadership responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full qualitative research process, including study design, selection of appropriate qualitative and mixed methods, fieldwork, analysis, and interpretation.
• Apply knowledge of the built environment and human behaviour to develop and refine the framework for evaluating community assets and their attractiveness to different population groups.
• Lead qualitative studies and contribute to the design and interpretation of surveys to validate and refine initial archetypes and activity chains derived from big-data modelling.
• Collaborate with researchers in geospatial analysis, urban analytics, and data science to align research questions and synthesise qualitative, quantitative, and spatial findings.
• Publish research findings in academic journals, present at local and international conferences, and contribute to reports and presentations for policy and practitioner audiences.
• Coordinate qualitative research activities, contribute to project reporting and stakeholder engagement, and provide guidance and constructive feedback to team members where appropriate.

Qualifications

• For appointment as Research Assistant: a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field. Relevant fields may include Architecture, Urban Planning/Studies, Human Geography, Sociology, Anthropology, Public Health, Environmental or Behavioural Psychology, Social Policy, Community Development, and related disciplines.
• Strong domain knowledge in one or more of the following areas: environmental behaviour studies, built environment and health, urban sociology, community asset evaluation, urban analytics, active living, everyday behaviour, or community life.
• Strong and demonstrable experience in qualitative research, with the ability to independently plan, conduct, analyse, and communicate research involving human participants. Relevant analytical approaches may include thematic analysis, grounded theory, content analysis, or other systematic methods.
• Ability to understand and critically interpret quantitative, survey, geospatial, and activity-modelling findings, and to integrate evidence across research workstreams.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary research teams, engaging communities, and collaborating with government agencies or other partners. Familiarity with Singapore’s built environment, communities, or public-sector context is advantageous.
• Evidence of strong research, analytical, writing, and communication skills, with the ability to convey complex findings to academic, policy, and practitioner audiences.
• Excellent project management and organisational skills, with the ability to coordinate research activities, report to multiple stakeholders, and work independently and collaboratively in a dynamic research environment.
• Preferred: Experience using NVivo or similar qualitative data analysis software to manage, code, analyse, and synthesise qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, observations, and other qualitative research sources.

Application Procedure

Interested applicants should submit the following documents to NUS job portal:

• a cover letter (maximum 3 pages)
• up-to-date CV
• a statement describing their research trajectory, interests and career ambitions
• contact details for references (only short-listed applicants will be invited to submit reference letters)
• o three referees for Research Assistant role

We will begin evaluating candidates immediately, but the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Further enquiries can be sent to [e-mail] (please indicate “Research Assistant (Built Environment & Behaviour) Application for CA-ACM”).