Research Assistant – Organizations, Communities & Social Impact

The Research Assistant will support research on social entrepreneurship, organizational purpose, and how communities organize, remember, and maintain identities. Projects explore nonprofit and hybrid organizations, social impact, collective memory, cultural heritage, and alternative forms of organizing. The role involves conceptual research, academic literature reviews, and qualitative analysis to develop theoretical explanations of these phenomena.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct systematic and targeted academic literature searches.
• Prepare structured literature matrices and conceptual maps.
• Trace theories, constructs, and citations across disciplines.
• Compare theoretical explanations and identify mechanisms, assumptions, contradictions, and research gaps.
• Code and analyze qualitative materials, including interviews, ethnographic records, narratives, and archival sources.
• Analyze memories, material objects, and other mnemonic devices.
• Develop case and process summaries and concise analytical research memos.
• Maintain accurate references and organized research documentation.

Profile:

• Education & Background:
  • Currently enrolled as an advanced undergraduate, or Master’s  student in a field relevant to one or both research tracks.
  • Relevant fields include Business Administration, Management, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Organization Studies, CSR/Sustainability, Nonprofit Management, Economics, Sociology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Human Geography, History, Heritage Studies, Archaeology, and Digital Humanities.
  • Relevant academic or research environments include CMU-Q Business Administration, HBKU College of Humanities and Social Sciences, GU-Q CIRS, NU-Q, /IAS, Qatar National Library/Heritage Library, and VCU-Q.
• Research Skills:
  • Demonstrated knowledge or research interest in at least one of the following tracks:
    • Track A – Social Entrepreneurship, Purpose & Organizations: Social entrepreneurship, organizational purpose, CSR, nonprofit and hybrid organizations, authenticity, legitimacy, and social impact.
    • Track B – Communities, Memory & Organizing: How communities organize, remember, maintain identities, and make sense of place and time, including traditional and indigenous communities, nomadism, collective memory, narratives and epics, cultural heritage, material objects, and mnemonic practices. Experience or interest in oral histories, traditional or nomadic communities, museums, archives, storytelling, material culture, and collective memory is particularly valuable.
  • Strong academic writing and ability to synthesize complex bodies of research.
  • Experience in conceptual or theory-oriented research, structured literature reviews, or construct development is particularly valuable.
  • Ability to compare theories and identify patterns, mechanisms, assumptions, contradictions, and research gaps.
  • Experience analyzing interviews, ethnographic materials, narratives, or archival sources is desirable.
• Soft Skills:
  • Reliable, organized, and self-motivated.
  • Able to work independently and collaboratively.
  • Interested in women’s organizing, solidarity, entrepreneurship, and finance in Islamic contexts.
• Application Requirements

Submit a CV and one PDF of no more than two pages containing:

• A short profile of up to 100 words covering academic background, current university/program, year of study, and research interests.
• One primary research track and, optionally, one secondary track.
• Up to five bullet points describing directly relevant experience and what the applicant personally contributed.
• One line each outlining qualitative research skills, visual/photography skills, and other relevant skills.

Applications missing any of the required documents or information will not be considered.