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Research Associate (1-year contract), Urban Institute
This role supports interdisciplinary urban research projects at the SMU Urban Institute, with a particular focus on generating impactful research on Asian cities. The incumbent will work closely with Principal Investigators and research teams to contribute to the design, execution, analysis, and dissemination of research across a range of urban themes.
Key responsibilities include co-authoring manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals, designing and conducting qualitative and mixed-method research studies, and collecting, managing, and analysing qualitative and multi-method datasets. The role also involves undertaking cross-country comparative research, particularly within Southeast Asia, translating research findings for non-academic audiences, engaging external stakeholders, and contributing to research reporting, grant deliverables, and project administration. The successful candidate will be expected to collaborate effectively within interdisciplinary teams and undertake additional research-related duties as required.
Candidates should hold a Master's degree in a relevant social science, arts, or humanities discipline and possess at least two years of research experience in an interdisciplinary environment. Demonstrated academic writing ability, evidenced through publications, working papers, or equivalent outputs, is essential. Experience working alongside researchers from diverse fields, including science, engineering, or computing, will be highly advantageous. Strong qualitative research, analytical, and communication skills, together with the ability to work independently and collaboratively, are important for success in this role.
Research Track Faculty (Urban Informatics / Urban Studies)
This Research Track faculty role at SMU’s Urban Institute focuses on advancing high-impact, interdisciplinary research on Asian cities. The incumbent will develop and execute ambitious research programmes aligned with UI’s pillars—Growth, Governance, Systems, and Experiences—while meeting clear KPIs in publishing and grant acquisition.
With a teaching load of one course per year, the role combines research leadership with selective teaching and active participation in SMU’s academic community. The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate or postgraduate education, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration across Schools, and support at least one of SMU’s strategic priorities: Growth in Asia, Digital Transformation, or Sustainable Living.
Candidates with strong urban research expertise, bold interdisciplinarity, and experience working on cities in Asia are especially encouraged to apply.
Application is now closed.
Research Assistant (12-month contract), Urban Institute
This role supports a qualitative research project focused on ageing and everyday urban experiences in Singapore. The incumbent will assist the P.I. in delivering the project through fieldwork, data management, and administrative coordination.
Key responsibilities include building and maintaining participant databases, conducting (snowball) sampling, carrying out interviews with elderly residents and caregivers, and transcribing qualitative data. The role also involves supporting project administration and undertaking ad hoc tasks essential to project delivery.
Candidates should hold an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, have some experience with qualitative research in Singapore, and demonstrate strong organisational skills and attention to detail. Interest in ageing, elderly care, mobility, and urban infrastructure is highly valued, with additional language skills considered an asset.
Application is now closed.
Research Fellow (1-year contract), Urban Institute
This Fellowship role supports high-impact urban research and grant development within an interdisciplinary team led by the PI. The Fellow will contribute empirical, policy-relevant research grounded in urban and regional economics, supporting data-driven insights and applied urban solutions.
The incumbent will coordinate and draft grant proposals, develop and maintain integrated data-sharing platforms, and manage large-scale administrative, demographic, spatial, and transportation datasets. They will conduct literature reviews, build structured knowledge bases to support theory and research design, and lead data collection, analysis, and maintenance. The role also includes producing research publications and policy briefs that inform urban policy and practice.
Application is now closed.
Research Engineer (Mobility), Urban Institute
This role supports interdisciplinary urban research conducted by the SMU Urban Institute, a university-level research institute established in early 2024. Leveraging SMU’s strategic location in Singapore’s city centre, the Institute focuses on advancing impactful research on Asian cities. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (P.I.) to support ongoing research projects at the Institute.
Key responsibilities include refitting and operating a large-scale taxi and ride-hailing simulation model using updated street topology data, processing and managing large datasets from sources such as LTA and Gojek for simulation calibration, and designing automated calibration workflows to ensure the model aligns closely with real-world transport patterns.
Candidates should possess relevant technical and analytical skillsets, with experience in large-scale data processing, simulation modelling, or urban transport research. Familiarity with Singapore’s transport datasets and an interest in urban mobility, smart cities, and applied urban analytics are highly valued.
Application is now closed.
Research Assistant (1-year Contract), Urban Institute
This role will work closely with the Director to advance the Institute’s research, branding, and outreach agenda. The Research Assistant will support the development of high-quality research outputs by compiling and managing databases of reports and supporting materials, identifying and engaging key stakeholders and interviewees, and assisting with the design, conduct, transcription, and synthesis of interviews into published reports. The role will also contribute to literature reviews, sampling network development, and research analysis, with bibliometric analysis skills considered an asset. In addition, the incumbent will provide coordination and operational support for Institute activities, including organising lectures, workshops, and seminars; facilitating meetings with Pillar Leads and Urban Fellows; preparing minutes; and undertaking other ad hoc administrative and research support tasks as required.
Application is now closed.
Research Track Faculty (Urban Informatics / Urban Studies)
This Research Track faculty role at SMU’s Urban Institute focuses on advancing high-impact, interdisciplinary research on Asian cities. The incumbent will develop and execute ambitious research programmes aligned with UI’s pillars—Growth, Governance, Systems, and Experiences—while meeting clear KPIs in publishing and grant acquisition.
With a teaching load of one course per year, the role combines research leadership with selective teaching and active participation in SMU’s academic community. The successful candidate will contribute to undergraduate or postgraduate education, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration across Schools, and support at least one of SMU’s strategic priorities: Growth in Asia, Digital Transformation, or Sustainable Living.
Candidates with strong urban research expertise, bold interdisciplinarity, and experience working on cities in Asia are especially encouraged to apply.
Application is now closed.
Research Assistant (12-month contract), Urban Institute
This role supports a qualitative research project focused on ageing and everyday urban experiences in Singapore. The incumbent will assist the P.I. in delivering the project through fieldwork, data management, and administrative coordination.
Key responsibilities include building and maintaining participant databases, conducting (snowball) sampling, carrying out interviews with elderly residents and caregivers, and transcribing qualitative data. The role also involves supporting project administration and undertaking ad hoc tasks essential to project delivery.
Candidates should hold an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, have some experience with qualitative research in Singapore, and demonstrate strong organisational skills and attention to detail. Interest in ageing, elderly care, mobility, and urban infrastructure is highly valued, with additional language skills considered an asset.
Application is now closed.
Research Fellow (1-year contract), Urban Institute
This Fellowship role supports high-impact urban research and grant development within an interdisciplinary team led by the PI. The Fellow will contribute empirical, policy-relevant research grounded in urban and regional economics, supporting data-driven insights and applied urban solutions.
The incumbent will coordinate and draft grant proposals, develop and maintain integrated data-sharing platforms, and manage large-scale administrative, demographic, spatial, and transportation datasets. They will conduct literature reviews, build structured knowledge bases to support theory and research design, and lead data collection, analysis, and maintenance. The role also includes producing research publications and policy briefs that inform urban policy and practice.
Application is now closed.
Research Engineer (Mobility), Urban Institute
This role supports interdisciplinary urban research conducted by the SMU Urban Institute, a university-level research institute established in early 2024. Leveraging SMU’s strategic location in Singapore’s city centre, the Institute focuses on advancing impactful research on Asian cities. The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (P.I.) to support ongoing research projects at the Institute.
Key responsibilities include refitting and operating a large-scale taxi and ride-hailing simulation model using updated street topology data, processing and managing large datasets from sources such as LTA and Gojek for simulation calibration, and designing automated calibration workflows to ensure the model aligns closely with real-world transport patterns.
Candidates should possess relevant technical and analytical skillsets, with experience in large-scale data processing, simulation modelling, or urban transport research. Familiarity with Singapore’s transport datasets and an interest in urban mobility, smart cities, and applied urban analytics are highly valued.
Application is now closed.
Research Assistant (1-year Contract), Urban Institute
This role will work closely with the Director to advance the Institute’s research, branding, and outreach agenda. The Research Assistant will support the development of high-quality research outputs by compiling and managing databases of reports and supporting materials, identifying and engaging key stakeholders and interviewees, and assisting with the design, conduct, transcription, and synthesis of interviews into published reports. The role will also contribute to literature reviews, sampling network development, and research analysis, with bibliometric analysis skills considered an asset. In addition, the incumbent will provide coordination and operational support for Institute activities, including organising lectures, workshops, and seminars; facilitating meetings with Pillar Leads and Urban Fellows; preparing minutes; and undertaking other ad hoc administrative and research support tasks as required.
Application is now closed.