Research Associate – Project Durga (Preventing Gender-Based Harassment on Public Transport)
J-PAL South Asia
Location: Bengaluru, India (field-based, with office time at partner locations)
Start Date (Earliest): 15 June 2026
Start Date (Latest): 30 June 2026
Length of Commitment: 12 months (with possibility of extension, budget and performance permitting)
About the project:
In Bengaluru, women and gender-diverse passengers frequently experience harassment on public buses, which limits their mobility, wellbeing, and access to work and education. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) has introduced panic alarms and other measures, but evidence on what actually prevents harassment and supports bystanders and bus staff is limited.
Project Durga is a pilot study jointly implemented by J-PAL South Asia and Durga (a Bengaluru-based NGO), in close partnership with BMTC. The project tests a set of low-cost, norm-based and bystander-focused interventions on BMTC buses, including:
● Social norm messages and information posters/announcements inside buses
● Training for bus drivers and conductors on safe, non-escalatory responses
● Clarifying and supporting the use of existing panic button systems
The pilot will assess feasibility, safety, operational practicality, and early signals of impact. It focuses on whether these components can be implemented without unintended harms to passengers, bystanders, or staff, and whether they function as intended in real service conditions. If promising, the pilot will inform a larger randomized evaluation and potential scale-up in Bengaluru and other cities.
About the position:
We are seeking a Research Associate (RA) to lead day-to-day research implementation for Project Durga. This is an excellent opportunity to gain field research experience in gender, public safety, and behavioral interventions, managing a complex pilot that combines qualitative and quantitative methods.
The RA will work closely with the Principal Investigators and senior team from J-PAL South Asia and CSBC at Ashoka University, as well as with Durga and BMTC. The role is particularly suitable for candidates considering a PhD in economics, public policy, sociology, or related fields, or for professionals seeking hands-on experience managing rigorous research and operations in an urban, low-income public transport setting.
The role is mixed-methods and operationally intensive. You will be responsible for translating a detailed safety- and ethics-focused protocol into daily field practice, coordinating multiple partners, and ensuring that data collection and risk safeguards are implemented to a high standard.
Key responsibilities:
Working under the guidance of the Principal Investigators and the J-PAL South Asia project management team, the Research Associate will:
1. Field operations and team management
● Recruit, train, and manage a team of field staff (enumerators, observers, qualitative researchers) working on BMTC routes and in community spaces.
● Lead regular training and refresher sessions on:
○ study protocols and instruments,
○ safety and de-escalation procedures,
○ ethical conduct and confidentiality.
● Plan and supervise daily field work schedules, including:
○ observer rides on buses,
○ focus group discussions,
○ passenger survey recruitment at bus stops,
○ depot-based staff surveys and debriefs.
● Put in place simple, robust systems for field supervision, spot checks, and real-time troubleshooting.
2. Implementation of the study protocol
● Oversee all three phases of the pilot:
○ Phase 1 - Formative research and co-design:
■ Organise and supervise focus group discussions with passengers (women, gender-diverse riders, and male bystanders).
■ Support message testing for posters and audio scripts and document feedback systematically.
■ Prepare materials and documentation for safety and acceptability convergence meetings with BMTC and Durga.
○ Phase 2 - Staff training (led by Durga):
■ Coordinate schedules with Durga and BMTC depots.
■ Support logistics for driver and conductor training sessions.
■ Monitor adherence to the agreed content and capture feedback for refinement.
○ Phase 3 On-bus piloting:
■ Coordinate the installation and maintenance of posters and announcements on selected BMTC routes.
■ Supervise observer-based monitoring rides and ensure accurate completion of structured incident and observation logs.
■ Oversee weekly driver and conductor safety check-ins (e.g., WhatsApp-based) and short follow-up calls when incidents are reported.
■ Oversee passenger recruitment for mobile/QR-based surveys at bus stops, ensuring that consent and privacy procedures are followed.
3. Data systems, quality, and analysis support
● Program and manage survey instruments in SurveyCTO (or equivalent), including pilots and revisions.
● Extract and clean data daily/weekly using Stata (required) and/or R/Python (desired), including:
○ survey data from passengers and staff,
○ focus group and interview datasets (with qualitative coders, as needed),
○ observer logs and safety incident reports,
○ de-identified administrative data on panic button activations from BMTC.
● Develop and maintain data quality dashboards and checks (e.g., response rates, consistency checks, tracking of adverse events).
● Prepare periodic descriptive summaries and basic analysis (e.g., safety indicators, exposure measures, early feasibility metrics) for the research team.
4. Risk management, ethics, and IRB compliance
● Implement the project’s safety plan and risk mitigation protocols in the field, including:
○ clear escalation pathways for serious incidents,
○ documentation of adverse events and near misses,
○ decisions on pausing or modifying intervention components in consultation with the PIs.
● Ensure that all data collection follows approved IRB protocols (IFMR Human Subjects Committee and other relevant boards), including:
○ informed consent procedures (verbal/written, as applicable),
○ protection of participant privacy and confidentiality,
○ adherence to inclusion/exclusion criteria (e.g., no minors).
● Contribute to IRB continuing review reports and documentation on adverse events.
5. Partner coordination and communication
● Serve as a primary day-to-day point of contact for:
○ BMTC depot managers and route supervisors,
○ Durga’s implementation team,
○ local community organisations involved in recruitment.
● Liaise regularly with Principal Investigators and J-PAL staff, providing:
○ written progress updates,
○ field memos,
○ short briefs on emerging operational or safety issues.
● Support the organisation of stakeholder meetings and presentations on interim findings for BMTC, Durga, and other partners.
6. Reporting and documentation
● Prepare concise weekly and monthly project updates summarising:
○ field activities,
○ data collection status,
○ key challenges and resolutions,
○ any adverse events and responses.
● Maintain detailed documentation of protocols, instrument versions, and operational decisions to support transparency and future scale-up or full RCT design.
● Contribute to draft sections of policy briefs, presentations, and internal technical notes as needed.
Qualifications:
Required
● Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, public policy, development studies, sociology, gender studies, urban studies, or a closely related field.
● 0.5-4 years of relevant work experience in empirical research, impact evaluation, or intensive program implementation. Strong internships and research assistantships may be considered toward this requirement.
● Demonstrated experience with:
○ survey design and piloting,
○ managing or closely supporting field data collection,
○ supervising or working alongside field survey teams.
● Strong skills in Stata for data cleaning and basic analysis (merging, reshaping, generating indicators, producing summary tables/figures).
● Comfort working with digital survey platforms (e.g., SurveyCTO, Survey Solutions, Qualtrics) and Excel/Google Sheets.
● Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail; ability to handle multiple tasks and tight timelines in a dynamic, field-based environment.
● Strong written and oral communication skills in English, including the ability to clearly document procedures and write concise reports.
● Demonstrated sensitivity to issues of gender-based violence, harassment, and ethics in working with vulnerable populations.
Strongly desired:
● Familiarity with randomized evaluations and basic causal inference concepts.
● Prior work on projects related to gender, public safety, urban transport, or behavioral interventions.
● Experience conducting or managing:
○ focus group discussions,
○ qualitative interviews,
○ mixed-methods studies.
● Working knowledge of Kannada (highly preferred) and/or other South Indian languages; comfort working in Bengaluru and with public-sector institutions.
● Experience collaborating with government agencies, transport authorities, or large service providers.
● Familiarity with human subjects research ethics and IRB processes.
Work authorization and location
● Candidates must have work authorization in India.
● The role requires being based in Bengaluru, with frequent time in BMTC depots, on buses, and at partner offices. Some travel within the city (and occasionally to partner locations) is required.
● This is a full-time position; evening or early morning field hours may occasionally be required to cover peak commuting times.