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 Behavior Research Program, we are looking for a
Student Research Assistant (f/m/d)
(part-time – up to 20 hours per week)
to start in November 2026. The Behavior Research Program at ISDC focuses on how people, households and groups cope with major shocks to lives and livelihoods. We study how experiencing these shocks shapes choices, preferences and coping strategies, and contributes to wellbeing at the individual and household levels, as well as how they aggregate through society as a whole.
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 Stata and/or R;
- Have a demonstrated topical interest in studying conflict, development, behavior, and/or humanitarian policy;
- Have done impact evaluation; and
- Are capable of fluently communicating and writing in English.
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 (maximum one page) explaining why you would be a great fit for this position via the respective fields in the application portal. Examples of any relevant work samples are beneficial, but not mandatory. The deadline for applications is 10 November 2026. Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and that the position may be filled before the application deadline. 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!
