Research Associate, Social Lab: Data & Fieldwork Focus

National University of Singapore; Singapore; On-site; SGD 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Institute of Policy Studies at National University of Singapore is seeking a Research Associate for the Social Lab to support project scoping, data collection, and analysis. You will work with a team of researchers to translate findings into policy-relevant insights and contribute to publications and presentations.

Applicants should have a Master's in a social sciences discipline, strong grounding in quantitative methods, and experience with SPSS, Qualtrics, and/or R.

Qualifications

• Master's in social sciences from a reputable university.
• Strong grounding in quantitative methods and ability to handle large datasets.
• Familiar with SPSS, Qualtrics, and/or R and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Scoping and collating literature reviews.
• Collecting, cleaning, formatting, and analysing data using statistical software (SPSS / R) and/or survey platforms (e.g., Qualtrics).
• Managing and running research-driven programming and events.
• Preparing documentation for ethics board reviews.
• Preparing interview/focus group questionnaires.
• Assisting in the design of survey instruments and experiments, including sampling strategies, questionnaire development, and data-collection protocols.
• Managing fieldwork administration with an operations team.
• Engaging with stakeholders across workstreams.
• Attending project meetings and seminars as necessary.
• Summarising project results and preparing progress reports for the principal investigator and funding agencies.
• Writing papers, articles, reports, and presentations for dissemination.
• Presenting findings for internal and external audiences.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

SPSS

Education

Master's degree in social sciences

Tools

Qualtrics

R

Job description

Job Title: Research Associate (Social Lab) (33984)

University-Level Unit: Institute of Policy Studies

Faculty/Department-Level Unit: Institute of Policy Studies

Employee Category: Research Staff

Location_ONB: Bukit Timah Campus

Posting Start Date: 05/08/2026

Job Description

The Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) is an autonomous research institute within National University of Singapore. IPS is looking to hire a Research Associate for the Social Lab Department.

Core Responsibilities

• Scoping and collating literature reviews
• Collecting, cleaning, formatting, and analysing primary/secondary data using statistical software (SPSS / R) and/or survey platforms (e.g., Qualtrics)
• Managing and running research-driven programming and events
• Preparing documentation for research ethics board reviews
• Preparing interview/focus group questionnaires
• Assisting in the design of survey instruments and experiments, including sampling strategies, questionnaire development, and data-collection protocols
• Managing some aspects of fieldwork administration including field interviewer briefings, project progress monitoring, and data quality controls, in partnership with a dedicated fieldwork operations team
• Engaging and managing stakeholders across workstreams
• Attending project meetings, briefings, and subject-matter-expertise seminars as necessary
• Summarising project results and preparing progress reports for the PI and funding agencies
• Writing papers, articles, reports, chapters, and preparing presentations for internal, stakeholder, and public consumption
• Presenting findings or analyses for internal, stakeholder, and public consumption as necessary
  
  

Ad-hoc Responsibilities

• Assisting with events and outreach associated with research workstreams, such as rapporteuring, planning, and hosting conferences and workshops
• Other administrative tasks as assigned
  
  

Qualifications

To be considered for this role, you should fulfil the following criteria at a minimum:

• Have an excellent academic track record, including a Master's in a social sciences discipline from a reputable university.
• Have strong grounding in quantitative methods and proven ability to handle and analyse large datasets.
• Be familiar with statistical and programming software (especially SPSS, Qualtrics, and/or R) and data analysis.
  
  

Additionally, You Will Be Favourably Considered If You

• Possess strong English language communication skills, with an ability to write in a clear, engaging, coherent, and expedited fashion.
• Exhibit keen interest in research pertaining to social issues, sentiments, and policies.
• Possess experience in conducting survey fieldwork or other forms of research data collection.
• Possess experience working with quantitative data in a research setting.
• Demonstrate strong commitment to meeting deadlines and have a track record of producing work that reflects a maturity of thought.
• Are highly attentive to detail and committed to data accuracy and quality.
• Be independent and initiated
  
  

More Information

Location: Bukit Timah Campus

Organization: Institute of Policy Studies

Department : Institute of Policy Studies

Employee Referral Eligible: No

Job requisition ID : 33984

Req ID: 33984