Research Specialist / Research Assistant - Psychology & Sustainability
Institute of Sustainability and Technology, Hong Kong
- Institution
- Institute of Sustainability and Technology
- Country
- Hong Kong
- Position type
- Research Assistant
- Subject area
- Psychology & Cognitive Science
- Application deadline
- 26 August 2026
- Hours
- Full Time, Part Time
- Location
- HK
- Funding
- Fully funded position
This position is outside the fields we mentor
We mentor STEM applicants only. If your research aspirations are outside STEM subjects, you're very welcome to use this board and apply directly; we just aren't the right people to mentor you.
The full advert is above and the university's own application link is below — both free to use, with or without us.
About this position
About One Earth
One Earth is a non-profit founded by Poman Lo, a sustainability top voice and evangelist for collective well-being, to advocate for Asia’s sustainable future during the Decade of Action by uniting leaders across government, business, philanthropy and academia to co-create a well-being economy and mainstream impact investing. Poman, an impact leader committed to advancing systemic change in Asia, established the One Earth Institute to empower the next generation of impact leaders. Our One Earth NextGen programs accelerate tech-for-good innovations, while the One Earth Alliance bridges catalytic capital, policy, and technology through public-private-philanthropic partnerships—join us to scale solutions that deliver thriving people and planet.
Overview:
Join a multidisciplinary research team supporting a portfolio of projects exploring why pro-environmental and prosocial intentions often fail to translate into sustained action. Research topics include connection (interconnectedness, compassion), agency, intrinsic/extrinsic motivation, behavior change, mindfulness, organizational and consumer behavior, and intervention design across cultural contexts.
Key responsibilities
- Lead/support study design, literature reviews, and protocol development across projects
- Develop surveys, experiments, and intervention materials; assist with piloting and fidelity checks
- Recruit and coordinate participants and manage fieldwork in Hong Kong and across Asia Clean, code, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data (R/SPSS/Stata; NVivo/ATLAS.ti or similar)
- Draft IRB/ethics submissions, pre registrations, methods sections, reports, and manuscripts
- Prepare policy/practice briefs and present findings to academic and practitioner audiences
- Manage project documentation, timelines, data storage, and partner coordination
Minimum qualifications & skills
- PhD in Psychology, Behavioral Science or related field
- Strong quantitative and qualitative methods skills; experience with experiments/interventions preferred
- Familiarity with behavior change frameworks (e.g., TPB, Self-Determination Theory), mindfulness/compassion literature desirable
- Experience publishing or presenting research preferred; strong academic writing ability Comfortable working independently and in remote, multicultural teams; excellent organization and communication
- Fluent in English; Chinese literacy is an advantage
What we offer
- Hands-on involvement in a portfolio of applied, publishable research with policy and practice impact
- Mentorship from Poman Lo and access to the One Earth network
- Flexible hours, competitive stipend (commensurate with experience), and opportunities for co authorship and professional development
We offer an attractive remuneration package to the right candidate. Please send a single PDF to recruit@istasia.org containing:
- CV (2 pages max)
- 1-page cover letter outlining relevant experience and interest
- One recent writing sample (methods section, short paper, or report)
Apply directly to Institute of Sustainability and Technology
Emerging Scholars Council is not the employer and does not recruit for this position. It is advertised by Institute of Sustainability and Technology, and your application goes to them. We help students prepare and strengthen their applications.
Go to the official application page →Applications close 26 August 2026.
Contact listed in the advert
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