Careers

The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) invites applications for full-time Research Assistant/Associate appointments to support applied research and innovation projects on people, communities, and cities.

The position is suited for candidates with strong interests in mixed-methods social science research, social policy innovation, community development, and translating research into real-world impact. The successful applicant will join an interdisciplinary team working at the intersection of behavioural science, urban planning, public health, sustainability, and community activation.

About the role

The successful candidate will contribute to projects in LKYCIC focusing on understanding how social and built environments shape individual and community outcomes, and how research can be translated into practical interventions, programmes, policies, and design solutions.

Current and upcoming projects include:

• Social capital and community resilience in neighbourhoods and community hubs
• Climate adaptation, urban heat resilience, and sustainable living
• Community activation and citizen engagement initiatives
• Population health and healthy neighbourhoods
• Design and evaluation of community-based interventions
• Development of practical tools, frameworks, and guidelines for policymakers and practitioners

Projects typically involve a combination of surveys, interviews, focus groups, behavioural observations, workshops, participatory design activities, and field-based research conducted in partnership with government agencies, community organisations, industry partners, and residents. Depending on the project, researchers may also have opportunities to work with digital platforms, spatial data, and emerging AI-enabled tools that support research, community engagement, programme design, and policy innovation.

Key responsibilities

The candidate will be expected to:

• Support the design and implementation of mixed-methods research studies
• Conduct literature reviews and evidence synthesis
• Design and administer surveys, interviews, focus groups, and workshops
• Conduct field observations and community-based data collection
• Analyse qualitative and quantitative data using appropriate methods and software
• Assist in stakeholder engagement, participatory design, and community activation activities
• Support project management, coordination, and reporting
• Prepare research reports, policy briefs, presentations, and academic manuscripts
• Contribute to the translation of research findings into practical recommendations, interventions, and tools
• Work collaboratively with interdisciplinary researchers and external partners

The Centre may, at its discretion, assign additional responsibilities from time to time, such as teaching or other duties aligned with the Centre’s needs.

Skills and qualifications required

• Bachelor’s or postgraduate degree (MA, MSc, March, MPP or equivalent) in sociology, public policy, geography, urban studies, architecture, public health, psychology, community development, social work, behavioural science, environmental studies, or related disciplines
• Demonstrated interest in applied social science research, real-world impact, and the translation of research into practical interventions, programmes, policies, or design solutions
• Experience with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods, including survey design, interviews, focus groups, observations, workshops, or field-based research
• Strong analytical, organisational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to exercise good judgement and initiative in complex real-world settings
• ⁠Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present research insights clearly to academic, policy, practitioner, and community audiences
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within interdisciplinary and partner-facing teams
• ⁠Interest in community engagement, social innovation, urban issues, sustainability, public health, and/or policy development
• Adaptability and willingness to learn new methods, tools, and approaches, including digital platforms, spatial data, or AI-enabled research tools where relevant

The following would be advantageous:

• Experience conducting fieldwork and community-based research
• Experience in programme evaluation, policy analysis, or participatory research

How to apply

Interested applicants are encouraged to send their application with the subject heading “Research Assistant/Associate (Community Innovation and Applied Social Research)” to lkycic@sutd.edu.sg with the following:

• Cover letter explaining your interest in the position and addressing the qualifications and skills requirements (maximum 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae
• Two writing sample (e.g., thesis, report, publication, policy brief, or research paper)
• Names and contact details of three referees who may be contacted for a reference

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will continue until the position is filled.

The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) at Singapore University of Technology and Design invites applications for a full-time Research Assistant / Associate position with a strong focus on quantitative urban data analysis, large-scale datasets, and interactive data visualisation. The successful candidate will join the LKYCIC Urban Innovation Research Programme and support a multidisciplinary research team in conducting international comparative research on urban innovation, sustainable development, and city transformation.

The successful candidate will work with structured and unstructured urban datasets, develop indicators and benchmarks, conduct statistical and spatial analysis, and translate findings into clear visual outputs, interactive dashboards, reports, and presentations. This role offers a unique opportunity to apply data-driven methods to global urban development questions and contribute to policy-relevant, translational research for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

For more information about the Urban Innovation Research Programme, see https://www.sutd.edu.sg/lkycic/research/urban-innovation.

Key responsibilities

The candidate will be expected to:

• Collect, organise, and analyse qualitative and quantitative data from primary sources as well as international city reports, policy documents, academic publications, and secondary data sources.
• Compile, clean, harmonise, and manage large-scale quantitative datasets from city reports, open data portals, policy documents, administrative datasets, geospatial sources, and other primary and secondary data sources.
• Conduct descriptive, comparative, statistical, and spatial analysis to identify urban trends, patterns, benchmarks, and relationships across cities and themes.
• Assist in the development of city profiles, thematic reports, presentations, research publications, and other knowledge products for policy, professional practice, and academic audiences.
• Design, build, and update interactive dashboards, data visualisations, maps, and analytical tools for internal research use and external policy or practitioner audiences.
• Support automated or reproducible workflows for data cleaning, analysis, documentation, and visualisation using appropriate analytical tools and coding languages.
• Provide project administration and coordination support, including preparing research ethics applications, organising meetings, workshops, and stakeholder engagement activities.

The Centre may, at its discretion, assign additional responsibilities from time to time, such as teaching or other duties aligned with the Centre’s needs.

Qualification and skills

• Master’s degree in 1 of these fields: data science, statistics, economics, urban analytics, geography, urban planning, public policy, computational social science, or a related quantitative field.
• Strong quantitative research skills, including experience with data cleaning, wrangling, statistical analysis, indicator development, and interpretation of complex datasets.
• Demonstrated experience working with large-scale datasets, open data, administrative data, geospatial data, or other structured and semi-structured data sources.
• Proficiency in analytical and visualisation tools such as Python, R, SQL, GIS, Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent platforms.
• Experience designing interactive dashboards, data visualisations, maps, or digital analytical tools for research, policy, or practitioner audiences.
• Ability to communicate quantitative findings clearly through concise writing, charts, tables, dashboards, presentations, and policy-relevant narratives.
• Strong interest in urban innovation, smart sustainable development, social inclusion, climate resilience, and international comparative research.
• Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage datasets, documentation, deadlines, and multiple workstreams independently.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team.
• Experience with machine learning, web scraping, API-based data collection, reproducible research workflows, or mixed-methods research is an advantage.

How to apply

Applications with subject heading – Urban Data Analysis RA application – should be sent via email to Dr Xin Yang at xin_yang@sutd.edu.sg.

The application must include:

• A cover letter (1-2 pages)
• A curriculum vitae
• A writing sample
• A sample of relevant quantitative work, such as a dashboard, data visualisation, code repository, analytical report, or portfolio link, if available
• Three referees who may be contacted for a reference

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. This position remains open until filled.

The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) offers an exciting and intellectually stimulating environment in which appointees can make a significant contribution and develop professionally.

The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) at SUTD is seeking a full-time Research Assistant/Associate with strong quantitative skills to support applied urban analytics projects.

The position is suited for candidates who enjoy working with real-world data and translating quantitative insights into planning, design, and policy applications. The successful applicant will join a growing interdisciplinary team working at the intersection of behavioural science, urban systems, and data-driven decision-making.

About the role

The successful candidate will contribute to projects in the Urban Psychology Lab and the Urban Environmental Sustainability Programme, with a focus on developing analytical methods and practical tools for understanding how people interact with urban environments.

Current and upcoming projects include:

• Public perceptions and behaviours in urban public spaces
• Planning for social capital and liveability
• Urban mobility, health, and environmental exposure
• Data-driven tools for planning and policy support

Projects typically involve the integration of survey and observation data, geospatial datasets, sensor streams, and digital platform data to address applied urban challenges.

Key responsibilities

The candidate will be expected to:

• Conduct geospatial and statistical analyses on large and complex datasets
• Design and implement quantitative research workflows
• Develop custom analytical tools, scripts, or lightweight applications using Python, R, or JavaScript
• Manage research code, data pipelines, and documentation
• Support the preparation of academic manuscripts, technical reports, and policy briefs
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.

Skills and qualifications required

• Bachelors or postgraduate degree (MA, MSc or equivalent) related to data science, computer science, geographical information science or related disciplines (e.g., urban data science and urban analytics)
• Highly Proficient in Python and/or R
• Demonstrable skills in quantitative data collection and analysis
• Ability to work with structured (e.g., tables, GPS data) and unstructured datasets (images/videos/texts)
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational and data management skills
• Knowledge of GIS applications (e.g., Esri ArcGIS, QGIS) with database management systems (e.g., PostgreSQL) is a plus

How to apply:

Interested applicants are encouraged to send their application with the subject heading ‘Research Assistant/Associate (Sociospatial Analytics)’ to lkycic@sutd.edu.sg with the following:

• Cover letter explaining your interest in the position and addressing the qualifications and skills requirements (1 page)
• Curriculum vitae (including your GitHub homepage, if applicable)
• One coding sample and one writing sample (publication or research work)
• Three referees who may be contacted for a reference

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified. Applications will be reviewed and will continue until the position is filled.

The Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at the Singapore University of Technology and Design seeks applications for a full-time research position at the rank of Senior Research Fellow or above. Candidates who have a background in urban planning and/or research expertise in any of the following areas are encouraged to apply:

• socio-urban sustainability, particularly in the evaluation, monitoring and promotion of sustainability in the Asian context
• urban health policy and the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases through human-centric technologies
• human dimensions and policy implications of innovative urban technologies

The Centre may, at its discretion, assign additional responsibilities from time to time, such as teaching or other duties aligned with the Centre’s needs, without adjusting your appointment grade or title.

Candidates should have a at least five years of post-doctoral publication track record and a professional history of receiving and managing competitive grants. The successful candidate is expected to establish an independent research agenda and mentor junior research staff. Remuneration will be internationally competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Interested applicants should submit a dossier consisting of the following:

• a cover letter (maximum 3 pages)
• up-to-date CV
• a statement describing their research trajectory and future plans
• a statement describing their teaching experience (if any)
• contact details for three referees (only short-listed applicants will be invited to submit reference letters)

We will begin evaluating candidates immediately, but the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. E-mail applications and further enquiries should be sent to lkycic@sutd.edu.sg (please indicate “Senior Research Fellow Application” as the subject heading).