Human Resources Office

CUPDF - Chair of Research

About the Centre of Excellence in Urban Planning and Design (CoE), CEPT University

In December 2023, CEPT University was recognized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, as a Centre of Excellence in Urban Planning and Design. The recognition serves as a significant milestone for CEPT University. This comes with an endowment of Rs. 250 Crore to be used towards research, development, and training in Urban Planning and Design over the next 25 years. CEPT University has created CEPT Urban Planning and Design Foundation (CUPDF) as the SPV that will operate as its Centre of Excellence (CoE).  CUPDF is expected to foster innovation and help improve the practice in the fields of urban planning and design. To fulfill that role, we believe that the Centre of Excellence must be an open, transparent, accountable, and a vibrant platform that brings together the best talent in the fields of urban planning and design.

Urban Planning and Urban Design are central to the development of our country. City regions are key contributors to our economy. As we become more urban, we will need to greatly improve our towns and cities to reap the benefits of urbanization for a better quality of life and economic growth.

The research objective of CUPDF is to make planning and design more effective by conducting research on practically relevant questions in the field. Subjects will focus on promoting, scaling and mainstreaming India-focused research in urban planning and design related to the country’s urban reform agenda. Urban planning research will include developing methods and approaches for a better understanding of urbanization in metropolitan regions through interrelationships of land use, human and habitat density, networks, etc. and their correlation with markets with the objective of framing better policies for urbanization.

About the Position:

As Chair of Research, the selected candidate will be in a senior leadership position within CUPDF.  She/he will have the responsibility to lead the research team and represent the research team in various meetings, discussions and presentations to internal stakeholders within the CEPT University ecosystem and external stakeholders.

This position broadly includes:

• Supporting activities of the whole research team, creating an environment that enables them to work flexibly, efficiently and focused on research goals and objectives and dealing with any problems as they arise
• Developing an evaluation plan for specific elements of the research and nurturing and developing research collaboration with other institutions and universities
• Facilitating and managing communication across all the partnership organizations
• Co-ordinating cross topic research meetings
• Identifying and engaging external/internal experts or mentors who can advise the research team on research methods where needed
• Crafting topical areas to also grow the various capacity building programs of CUPDF or CEPT University’s professional training programs anchored by CPP

The incumbent will be research active, carrying out research, and publishing papers. The successful candidate will be a subject specialist in one or more areas listed within this job posting.

Reports to: Head, CUPDF

Essential Qualifications and Requirements:

• Post graduate degree or certifications in urban, rural, or regional planning/management/ governance, or administration from a recognized Indian or international university
• 15 years of relevant, full-time work experience at a research institution or think tank with a focus on policy analysis and research related to urban development, political economy, economic and financial analysis, governance and administration
• Experience of working closely with government agencies, and other public stakeholders in the above topical areas
• Knowledge and awareness of current initiatives of the government in urban planning, design and development
• Showcase the ability to work well in multi-disciplinary teams, balance multiple priorities, and work under tight deadlines
• Excellent written communication skills in English
• Ability to structure complex ideas and narratives through presentations, written documents and the spoken word, clearly and concisely
• Ability to understand the level of detail essential for a given task
• Is an organized, and independent thinker

To Apply via Email:

Only qualified applicants must send an email to cupdf.coe@cept.ac.in with the subject line, “Application for Chair of Research - (First and Last name of applicant)”

List of Documents to be attached in the form:

• Detailed CV
• A cover letter indicating why you are interested in this position
• Summary abstracts or links to 5 key recent research papers showcasing your best work

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for an interview.

Remuneration: Highly competitive and commensurate with the profile of the candidate.