Postdoctoral Research Assistant – Multilingual Markets Project

About the role

The Multilingual Markets project investigates language use and attitudes in Malawi’s informal labour market. The University of Malawi is seeking a full‑time (or part‑time) Postdoctoral Research Assistant to lead data collection and analysis across six research sites until April 2026.

Key responsibilities

• Collect data in all six research sites, meeting targets and adhering to ethical procedures.
• Lead data tidying, transcription, translation and quantitative‑qualitative analysis.
• Manage a team of four Fieldwork Research Assistants.
• Participate in project coordination, including team meetings, stakeholder engagement, academic talks and publications.
• Develop public‑facing outputs such as infographics, audio‑visual material and maintain the project website.

Required profile

• PhD in Linguistics or a closely related field awarded within the last seven years.
• Proven experience with ethnographic methods and qualitative data analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a research team.
• Fluency in English and Chichewa; knowledge of additional Malawian languages is desirable.

Required skills

• Qualitative data analysis.
• Ethnographic fieldwork.
• Transcription and translation.
• Team supervision.