IIMU Research Assistant Consumer Culture Recruitment 2026

IIMU Research Assistant Recruitment 2026: Overview

Indian Institute of Management Udaipur (IIMU) is hiring a Research Assistant for its Consumer Culture Lab at the Balicha campus in Udaipur. The lab brings together faculty, researchers, students, alumni and international academics to study how people in India consume and make sense of products and services. This is a contractual research role supporting projects led by the lab's co-chairs, Prof. Ankur Kapoor and Prof. Rajesh Nanarpuzha.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Research setting: The Consumer Culture Lab studies India's diverse consumer experiences. Its work aims to make insights useful to both academic researchers and people working in industry, with particular attention to voices that may be missed in research centred on Western settings.
• Campus location: Your work will be based at IIMU's Balicha campus in Udaipur. The notice identifies this campus as the job location.
• Contract period: The initial appointment lasts 12 months. A further 12-month renewal is possible, giving you time to build a research profile before applying for doctoral study.
• Academic exposure: You may attend seminars where resident and visiting faculty discuss their working papers. The notice also describes access to doctoral coursework and workshops covering qualitative methods, consumer culture theory and theory building.
• Research guidance: Faculty will provide guidance and additional training suited to the assigned projects. They also encourage independent research interests and can offer advice and recommendation letters for doctoral applications.
• Longer-term direction: The lab expects its research assistants to move towards a strong doctoral programme after two years. This describes the intended direction of the role; it is not a promise of admission to a university.
• Application completeness: Incomplete applications will not be considered. Make sure your application reflects your own background and reasons for joining the lab.
• Shortlisting communication: IIMU will contact shortlisted applicants within two weeks after applications close. If you receive no response by the end of October 2026, the notice says you should treat that as not being shortlisted.

• Help recruit participants and collect data through interviews, observation, ethnography and netnography.
• Organise interview recordings and field notes, including translation and transcription.
• Analyse qualitative data using the approach taught for each project.
• Review relevant research and summarise findings in reports or presentations.
• Help draft grant proposals, conference abstracts and journal manuscripts.
• Manage the lab's social media accounts.
• Create short articles and other content on consumer culture in India.
• Support the running of lab podcasts, webinars and research programmes.