Research Associate, Provost Office

Entity: Aga Khan University

Location: Karachi

Introduction:

Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU) is a private, non-profit, autonomous and self-governing international university and healthcare organization with 13 teaching sites, 7 hospitals and 325 outreach and other health facilities located in 6 countries over three continents. An integral part of the Aga Khan Development Network, AKU provides higher education in several disciplines, carries out a wide range of research and has campuses, programs and teaching hospitals providing world class healthcare services in Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Afghanistan and UK with over 3,000 students and more than 17,000 employees. As an international institution, AKU operates on the core principles of quality, relevance, impact and access.

As an equal opportunity employer, AKU believes in promoting a diverse and inclusive culture and is committed to adopt appropriate standards for safeguarding and promoting a respectful relationship with and between diverse workforce of its faculty, staff, trainees, volunteers, beneficiaries, wider communities, and other stakeholders with whom it works, including children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees/trainees and partners to share this commitment.

Responsibilities:

The Research Associate will be responsible for supporting Study Investigators and Research Coordinator in managing various aspects of research projects, ensuring adherence to protocols and institutional guidelines, and contributing to manuscript and grant writing. This includes coordinating study requirements with relevant departments, monitoring data collection, maintaining study documentation, and ensuring regulatory compliance, developing study reports, manuscripts, and presentations. The role also involves liaising with investigators, and institutional staff, training field teams for consent taking and questionnaire administration. The Research Associate will support study start-up, implementation, and dissemination of findings while maintaining strict confidentiality and ethical standards.

Specifically, you will be responsible for:

• Supporting grant writing efforts as undertaken by the core research team
• Managing grant-related activities using the PURE application
• Managing and maintaining up-to-date records and documentation for the Principal Investigator (PI)
• Developing and maintaining a thorough understanding of the study protocol and related study instruments
• Liaising and coordinating study requirements with relevant institutional units, sites, and departments per institutional policies
• Monitoring data collection, entry, tabulation, and data management across study sites
• Organizing informed consent processes in conjunction with the Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators (PI/Co-Is)
• Maintaining study documentation as per protocol including records of screening, recruitment, enrollment, monitoring, and study visits
• Ensuring strict patient confidentiality in accordance with institutional regulations

Requirements:

You should have:

• a bachelor's degree (MBBS/MD will be preferred) from an HEC-recognized or foreign university/institution (master’s degree would be added advantage)
• at least 1-2 years of research or organizational/coordination experience
• willingness to travel field sites in Karachi and other parts of Sindh for training, monitoring, liaison and to support other aspects of research studies
• high level of integrity and a strong work ethic
• strong critical thinking, organizational, and management skills
• ability to work independently and in a team, demonstrating versatility in roles such as data entry supervisor, and data manager
• excellent organizational capabilities to manage diverse tasks across multiple studies
• proficiency in written and spoken English
• strong computer skills, including proficiency in MS Office software
• ability to effectively manage relationships with local, national, and international research partners/collaborators
• basic understanding of effective models, including the use of social media for research dissemination

Comprehensive reference checks will be conducted.