Based in Bangkok, SEI Asia has a diverse team of multinational experts who integrate scientific research with participatory approaches to co-develop and share knowledge, build partnerships, and influence policy for resilient development. SEI Asia’s work focuses on gender and social equity, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, water insecurity and integrated water resources management, transitional agriculture, renewable energy and urbanization.
SEI Asia is an affiliate of Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand. SEI and CU have an agreement to foster innovative scientific research combined with effective policy engagement on development and environmental challenges in Asia. The key areas of collaboration are intellectual engagement for joint research applications and fund mobilization, lectures and seminars for CU students, post-graduate supervision and examination, and CU–SEI employee links.
About the role
The Research Associate in the Gender, Environment and Justice Cluster (GenJust) will help develop and implement rigorous research at the intersection of gender equality, social equity, justice, environment and development. The position involves undertaking high-quality applied research from design phase to policy influence, as well as helping to effectively integrate intersectional gender and human rights into a range of SEI research projects. The position also offers the opportunity to conceptualize and secure funding for future research projects.
The position involves capacity building with project partners, civil society, government and/or private sector actors, and opportunities to generate and communicate interdisciplinary research insights for different audiences, including in high-quality peer-review publications, policy briefs, blog posts or podcasts.
The Research Associate will join the GenJust Cluster in SEI Asia. The centre has a strong focus on bridging science and policy in relation to gender equality, social equity, justice, human rights and associated transitions to a sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for all. The Research Associate will work across disciplines, collaborating with colleagues from other SEI teams, including those working on water, urbanization, climate change and disaster risk.
The position is based at SEI Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. The Research Associate will report to the Research Fellow in the GenJust Cluster, under the overall supervision of the cluster lead and SEI Asia’s Centre Director.
Main responsibilities
Research and informing policy and practice
Conceptualize, design and implement gender, environment and development-focused applied research projects, with guidance from supervising colleagues.
Support the integration of cutting-edge, intersectional gender issues in SEI research in collaboration with the different clusters in SEI Asia, including those working on climate change, urbanization, disasters and development, and climate finance, with guidance from supervising colleagues.
Carry out high-quality literature reviews from grey and academic literature.
Carry out rigorous analysis of primary data, including cleaning coding and visualization of quantitative and qualitative data.
Co-author high-quality peer-reviewed journal articles based on GenJust research, as well as communications for policy and public audiences (such as reports, briefs and blogs) at national, regional or global scales.
Collaborate to shift agendas and improve policy and decision-making, and share research insights and recommendations in to the right audiences from local to national, regional and global levels.
Help to develop capacity, particularly around integrating intersectional gender, justice, and human rights issues, among policy, private sector, research, and civil society actors.
Broader SEI responsibilities
Collaborate with SEI’s communications team to support internal and external communications and outreach activities, including presentations, dialogues and media articles.
Contribute to mobilizing funds for GenJust and other SEI Asia projects aligned to SEI mandates and priorities.
Promote the aims and objectives of SEI as set out in its mission and aligned to its 2025-2029 Strategy. This includes participating in and contributing to the development of the SEI Asia Centre and GenJust research theme.
Be a proactive, inclusive and constructive team member who supports colleagues in the GenJust Cluster and collaborates with other groups and diverse colleagues within the centre.
Promote the positive exchange of ideas and research findings with relevant institutes, scientists and experts, including other SEI centres.