Research Assistant – Organizations, Communities & Social Impact

Job Description

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.

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.

Qualifications

• 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.

Additional Information

Disclaimer

This job description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. The responsibilities, tasks, and duties of the jobholder might differ from those outlined in this job description and other duties, as assigned, may be part of the job.

Employment Eligibility

If selected for a job at HEC Paris in Qatar, you will have to provide:

1. An original or a true copy of your Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) of your country of nationality attested by the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs*; and
2. A true copy of your highest Educational Certificate attested by the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs**.

*Candidates born in Qatar are exempt from providing an attested PCC. **Candidates who graduated from a university in Qatar are exempt from getting their Educational Certificate attested.

Getting your personal documents attested is a lengthy process. We encourage you to get your documents attested early in the recruitment process to reduce administrative delays upon hire.