Research Assistant (Project Management) - NUS Cities

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

National University of Singapore (NUS) invites applications for a Research Assistant (Project Management) with NUS Cities. The role supports the CA-ACM project within the Cities Foresight Lab, coordinating multidisciplinary activity across urban studies, data science, public health, and social science research.

The candidate will manage timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communications to promote active living research outcomes.

Qualifications

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in urban planning, public policy, engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated project management experience including planning, risk management, milestone tracking, budget oversight, and stakeholder coordination.
• Familiarity with Singapore's public sector and research funding landscape.
• Sufficient technical literacy to engage with quantitative components of the project.
• Experience working in or with interdisciplinary research teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to tailor messaging for academic and policy audiences.
• Proactive, organized, and adaptable in dynamic research environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and budgets with grantor reporting requirements.
• Serve as primary liaison between research team and external stakeholders; translate research outputs for policy audiences.
• Support planning and prioritization of workstreams; flag risks and adapt plans as research evolves.
• Facilitate team workflows and cross-work package coordination to minimise bottlenecks.
• Prepare project status reports, meeting documentation, and stakeholder-ready summaries of progress and findings.
• Assist in organising workshops, presentations, and engagement sessions with public sector audiences.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder coordination

Communication skills

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

Urban planning

Public policy

Engineering

Job description

Job Title: Research Assistant (Project Management) - 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: 19/08/2026

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 are seeking a highly motivated Project Manager to contribute to the project management and coordination components of the CA-ACM project.

Responsibilities

• Manage project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and budgets, ensuring alignment with grantor reporting requirements and expectations.
• Act as the primary liaison between the research team and external stakeholders, translating between technical research outputs and policy-facing communication.
• Support the PI and project lead in planning and prioritising workstreams, flagging risks early, and adapting plans as the research evolves.
• Facilitate team workflows and communication, coordinate across researchers working on various work packages to minimise bottlenecks and dependencies.
• Prepare project status reports, meeting documentation, and stakeholder-ready summaries of progress and findings.
• Assist in organising workshops, presentations, and engagement sessions with public sector audiences.

Qualifications

• Master's or Bachelor's degree in urban planning, public policy, engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated project management experience, including planning, risk management, milestone tracking, budget oversight, and stakeholder coordination.
• Familiarity with Singapore's public sector and research funding landscape.
• Sufficient technical literacy to engage meaningfully with the project's quantitative components.
• Experience working in or with interdisciplinary research teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for both academic and policy audiences.
• Proactive, organised, and comfortable operating in a dynamic environment where research directions may shift.