Research Assistant
| Posting date: | 18 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £34,670 per year |
| Additional salary information: | including London Allowance |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 29 August 2025 |
| Location: | Egham, Surrey |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Royal Holloway University of London |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 0825-184 |
Summary
Applications are invited for the post of Research Assistant (RA) in the Department of Economics.
We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join the research project “Women's employment and family decisions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A structural approach”.
This main goal of this project is to study the gender pay gap and women's employment in low-income countries (LIC), with the particular focus on the importance of family composition and on the role of the public sector. The vast majority of workers in low-income countries (LIC) are engaged in low-productivity self-employment or unpaid family work. This type work is more common among women; moreover, even when working for a wage, women face substantially lower earnings than men with similar characteristics. However, this situation is very different in the public sector - the gender pay gap there is lower and the share of female employment is higher, especially among married women. Jobs in the public sector also offer other amenities, such as security and flexibility, making them more attractive to women with children.
The successful candidate will work closely with Dr Ija Trapeznikova, Dr Ahu Gemici and Prof Juan Pablo Rud. As part of the research team, the RA will work on cleaning, standardising and organising secondary data for a number of developing countries. The data sources are mainly drawn from the household and labour force surveys. The work will include creating data dictionaries and data cleaning codes to ensure reproducibility of the project. The RA will also help in data analysis, producing research output and interpreting the results, as well as activities related to dissemination of the results.
This is a project funded by the IZA/FCDO Programme on Gender, Growth and Labour Markets in Low-Income Countries (G²LM|LIC).
The post is for 10 months, from 1 September 2025 to 30 June 2026.
The successful candidate will possess as many as possible from the following:
1. At least an undergraduate degree in Economics,
2. Experience of independent research (such as having done an undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation), with research interests in labour markets, family economics and/or development;
3. Good knowledge of applied econometrics;
4. Experience working with large micro data;
5. Experience using statistical software Stata or R, at advanced level is a plus;
6. Ability to keep accurate records, strong communication skills, and ability to work independently under regular supervision as well as within a team setting.
In return we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:
- Generous annual leave entitlement
- Training and Development opportunities
Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution
- Various schemes including Cycle to Work, Season Ticket Loans and help with the cost of Eyesight testing.
- Free parking
The post is based in Egham, Surrey, where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London.
For an informal discussion about the post, please contact the project PI, Ija Trapeznikova on ija.trapeznikova@rhul.ac.uk
For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at:recruitment@rhul.ac.uk
Please quote the reference: 0825-184
Closing Date: 29 August 2025
Interview Date: To be confirmed
We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join the research project “Women's employment and family decisions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A structural approach”.
This main goal of this project is to study the gender pay gap and women's employment in low-income countries (LIC), with the particular focus on the importance of family composition and on the role of the public sector. The vast majority of workers in low-income countries (LIC) are engaged in low-productivity self-employment or unpaid family work. This type work is more common among women; moreover, even when working for a wage, women face substantially lower earnings than men with similar characteristics. However, this situation is very different in the public sector - the gender pay gap there is lower and the share of female employment is higher, especially among married women. Jobs in the public sector also offer other amenities, such as security and flexibility, making them more attractive to women with children.
The successful candidate will work closely with Dr Ija Trapeznikova, Dr Ahu Gemici and Prof Juan Pablo Rud. As part of the research team, the RA will work on cleaning, standardising and organising secondary data for a number of developing countries. The data sources are mainly drawn from the household and labour force surveys. The work will include creating data dictionaries and data cleaning codes to ensure reproducibility of the project. The RA will also help in data analysis, producing research output and interpreting the results, as well as activities related to dissemination of the results.
This is a project funded by the IZA/FCDO Programme on Gender, Growth and Labour Markets in Low-Income Countries (G²LM|LIC).
The post is for 10 months, from 1 September 2025 to 30 June 2026.
The successful candidate will possess as many as possible from the following:
1. At least an undergraduate degree in Economics,
2. Experience of independent research (such as having done an undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation), with research interests in labour markets, family economics and/or development;
3. Good knowledge of applied econometrics;
4. Experience working with large micro data;
5. Experience using statistical software Stata or R, at advanced level is a plus;
6. Ability to keep accurate records, strong communication skills, and ability to work independently under regular supervision as well as within a team setting.
In return we offer a highly competitive rewards and benefits package including:
- Generous annual leave entitlement
- Training and Development opportunities
Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution
- Various schemes including Cycle to Work, Season Ticket Loans and help with the cost of Eyesight testing.
- Free parking
The post is based in Egham, Surrey, where the College is situated in a beautiful, leafy campus near to Windsor Great Park and within commuting distance from London.
For an informal discussion about the post, please contact the project PI, Ija Trapeznikova on ija.trapeznikova@rhul.ac.uk
For queries on the application process the Human Resources Department can be contacted by email at:recruitment@rhul.ac.uk
Please quote the reference: 0825-184
Closing Date: 29 August 2025
Interview Date: To be confirmed
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