Research Manager- J-PAL South Asia

Organization: J-PAL South Asia at IFMR

Location: The RM may choose to be located in the capital city of any of the southern states and work remotely, with travel to study locations as needed.

Start Date: ASAP

Length of Commitment:  1 year

Principal Investigators

Daron Acemoglu (MIT), Ananya Kotia (LSE), Utkarsh Saxena (Oxford)

Overview of the Role

We are seeking a Research Manager to oversee a portfolio of three research projects. Two field-based projects explore the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing judicial and bureaucratic state capacity in India. The third project is building a harmonized data repository of Indian firm and household microdata. This position offers the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in managing pioneering projects at the forefront of economics research and public policy.

Key responsibilities include contributing to the design and implementation of assigned projects, leading stakeholder engagement, mentoring and supervising the research team, managing budgeting and operational tasks, overseeing reporting processes, and handling contracts and grants management. We are looking for a proactive individual with proven management experience and familiarity with applied economics research and capable of working with multiple stakeholders to achieve project objectives. The candidate should be prepared to thrive in a dynamic organizational environment and demonstrate high levels of integrity and commitment to our work.

The successful candidate will join a team of Principal Investigators (PIs) and Research Assistants (RAs). They will gain direct experience collaborating with policy partners—specifically the NITI Aayog and various Indian courts—implementing surveys and field experiments, and conducting rigorous data analysis.

Project 1: Artificial Intelligence, Government Litigation, and Bureaucratic Decision Making

PIs: Daron Acemoglu (MIT), Ananya Kotia (LSE), Utkarsh Saxena (Oxford)

Working with Indian government agencies, this project studies whether artificial intelligence tools can be used to reduce inefficiencies caused by excessive government-initiated tax litigation in India.

Project 2: Artificial Intelligence and Judicial State Capacity

PIs: Ananya Kotia (LSE), Utkarsh Saxena (Oxford)

This project seeks to address India's substantial judicial backlog of over 50 million cases by evaluating the impact of integrating AI-driven tools like transcription, translation, OCR scanning, and case flow management software in courtrooms in a large Indian state. The intervention aims to test the impact of such tools on case resolution times and judicial decision-making.

Project 3: India Data Lab

PIs: Ananya Kotia (LSE)

The India Data Lab (IDL) is an initiative to harmonize unit-level microdata from India's key household and firm surveys, specifically the National Sample Surveys (NSS) and the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI). In collaboration with LSE, IGC, and NITI Aayog, the IDL will integrate these datasets into the National Data and Analytics Platform (NDAP). By cleaning and standardizing these complex datasets into a single, analysis-ready repository, the IDL aims to significantly streamline research efforts and enhance empirical studies on India's economy.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Economics (or bachelor's degree with relevant work experience).
• At least three years of relevant work experience
• Experience in managing randomized controlled trials is required.
• Knowledge of Stata (or any other statistical tool) is required.
• Ability to work in a team, manage multiple projects on the ground, and be self-motivated.
• Some experience conducting social science or economic field research, including supervising data collection, teams of field workers, survey design and implementation, financial reporting, and data management 

Responsibilities

• Develop survey instruments and data request documents for data collection
• Create technical documentation for internal and external audiences
• Conduct background research and literature reviews
• Draft content for reports to policymakers, academic papers, grant proposals, research protocols, and other project documents
• Supervise and mentor Research Associates
• Work with J-PAL South Asia’s Finance team to ensure project budgets and project spending is kept in check, funder deliverables are prepared and attended to, and PI requests are prepared on time.
• Ensure compliance with J-PAL’s research protocols across all project activities
• Designate roles and responsibilities for each project team member (including Finance Managers), manage project timelines & schedule check-in dialogues with team members, liaise & communicate with external stakeholders, the internal team, and set up management reporting.
• Travel to the field as needed