ISDC – International Security and Development Center is a non-profit academic institute based in Berlin, Germany. We conduct research to improve lives and livelihoods shaped by violent conflict, fragility, and humanitarian emergencies. We believe in the power of data and evidence for understanding and alleviating suffering around the world. You can find out more about us and our work by visiting www.isdc.org.
To join our Welfare Research Program, we are looking for a
Student Research Assistant (f/m/d)
(part-time – up to 20 hours per week)
to start in May 2026. The Welfare Research Program at ISDC focuses on the intersection between humanitarian emergencies, fragility, and conflict on one hand and economic and social well-being on the other. We expand the state of the art by designing and conducting experimental and quasi-experimental studies to understand how households live and cope with shocks. This informs our understanding of how humanitarian and development programs can help alleviate vulnerable households from poverty and strengthen their resilience and food and nutritional security.
Your responsibilities:
- Conducting literature reviews;
- Managing and cleaning large, complicated data sets;
- Supporting the analysis micro-level data using econometric techniques; and
- Contributing to the drafting of project publications.
We think you’d be a match if you:
- Are currently enrolled as a student in a Master’s degree program in economics, agricultural economics, nutrition, data science, or a related discipline in the wider Berlin area;
- Have experience in cleaning large datasets and conducting statistical / econometric analysis in R;
- Have a demonstrated topical interest in studying conflict, development, and/or humanitarian policy; and
- Are capable of fluently communicating and writing in English (fluency in Arabic is a strong plus).
What you’ll gain by working with us:
- Work on pressing global challenges with interesting donors, partners, and networks;
- The possibility to be part of (and learn from) a diverse, international team of researchers;
- A 12-month contract, with the possibility of extension, working up to 20 hours per week;
- A salary of 15,08 Euro gross per hour;
- Flexible work model; including the opportunity to work remotely from abroad for 3 weeks per year;
- 30 days of annual leave (full-time equivalent) and additional days off additional days off on 24 and 31 of December; and
- An exciting and collaborative working environment in a modern office space near S+U Wedding station.
Does this sound interesting to you?
Then we encourage you to apply! Please upload your CV, relevant transcripts, and a short cover letter explaining why you would be a great fit for this position (maximum one page) via the respective fields on our website. Examples of any relevant work samples are beneficial, but not mandatory. The deadline for applications is 12 April 2026. We ask that applicants kindly refrain from follow-up questions after application and strive to get back to every applicant as soon as possible.
We are looking forward to hearing from you!
