Call for Applications | Research Assistant | Planetary Health and Relational Well-being Project! NLSIU!

NLSIU invites applications from passionate and driven candidates with an inclination for field-based research and strong interpersonal skills for one Research Assistant position for a new project on ‘Planetary Health and Relational Well-being’. This is a full-time position for 18 months. The position will be based in Kerala and Bengaluru with a substantial fieldwork component all over Kerala.

About the Project

This interdisciplinary project integrates environmental history and political sociology to push the frontiers of knowledge on planetary health, which is a conceptualisation of wellbeing that highlights the interconnections between human health and environmental change. The project combines a range of historical, ethnographic and quantitative research methods to investigate how ecological, health and livelihood dimensions interlink. It focuses on the experiences of resilience and resistance of Adivasi communities in Kerala. The project involves documenting local histories of environmental change, collective action and resilience; generating new evidence on well-being trajectories through a wellbeing survey and life history interviews; and catalysing new collaborations between stakeholders on the ground to take action on the knowledge produced.

Responsibilities

The Research Assistant will have the following responsibilities:

Work with the project lead to develop conceptual frameworks.
Carry out archival research to map the environmental history of specific regions of the field.
Prepare and implement a well-being survey and training field surveyors.
Collect data using a range of ethnographic methods, including participant observation, life history interviews, oral history mapping, etc.
Report progress of field activities and troubleshoot challenges with the project lead on a regular basis.
Translate transcripts from Malayalam to English and write research reports and briefs.
Organize stakeholder workshops, consultations and public exhibitions along with the project lead.

Qualifications and Skills

Essential

A bachelor’s and master’s degrees in any of anthropology, sociology, political science, history, development studies, social work or related fields.
At least a year of work experience with grassroots organisations or research experience in the subject areas relevant to the project.
Training and familiarity in research methods and fieldwork: demonstrable experience in qualitative methods such as interviews, archival research and focus group discussions.
Proficiency in spoken and written Malayalam.
Knowledge of a language/dialect spoken by an Adivasi community of Kerala.
Strong interpersonal skills necessary to carry out fieldwork

Desirable

Familiarity with the historical archives of Kerala.
Ability to translate from Malayalam to English.

How to apply

Please use the Google form available here, and include the following documents:

An updated CV
A short statement outlining your research interests, interest in working with us and why you would be a good fit for the role (not more than 500 words).
1 writing sample (this can be an unpublished master’s level essay or dissertation)

The Research Assistant will be paid a competitive salary as per NLSIU norms. All fieldwork expenses will be covered additionally. Candidates from marginalised communities, who have faced social and economic disadvantages, are encouraged to apply.