Research Associate - AI Health Project

Research Associate - AI Health Project

Project Title: Use of AI in improving health care in India

Country: India

Start Date: May - December 2025

Length of Commitment: 12 months initial commitment, with scope to extend

Partners in the Project: None

Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s in Economics, or related quantitative social science fields

Organisation: J-PAL South Asia at IFMR

Professors Pascaline Dupas, Duncan Webb, and Patrick Agte seek a qualified applicant for the position of Research Associate based in India. The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field experience while undertaking cutting-edge development research. The RA will work on-site in Rajasthan and will work very closely with the Principal Investigators.

Context

Despite improvements in the health infrastructure in India, challenges persist due to information frictions and capacity constraints and recent advancements in the AI technology present a good opportunity to address and solve these challenges. Use of AI can be easy and low-cost in resource-constrained settings, especially in primary care in India. where it can enable gathering of patient data and provision of accurate and personalized health information. It can potentially help patients seek healthcare community workers prioritize the high-risk cases, help the doctors access detailed patient summaries, which could improve accuracy and optimize their consultation time.

This study proposes a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in India to evaluate how AI-generated health information and detailed symptom histories impact healthcare utilization and quality of care. We will deploy an AI chatbot that collects patient symptoms, summarizes key information, and offers context-sensitive recommendations. The intervention targets three points in the healthcare chain: (1) patients, (2) community health workers, and (3) doctors. By randomizing villages into different arms, we will test each layer separately—and also in combination—to pinpoint the mechanisms driving changes in care-seeking behavior, resource allocation by health workers, and the quality of diagnoses and treatments by doctors. Ultimately, the findings will inform how low-cost AI tools can ease capacity constraints, improve quality of care, and enhance the match between healthcare demand and supply in under-resourced settings.

In its first phase, the project will focus on piloting via conducting qualitative interviews and initial testing of the chatbot, to inform the research design for the next phase of the study.

Research Associate Roles and Responsibilities:

The RA will work closely with academic researchers and other field staff to perform a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to:

• Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative and quantitative research, running pilot exercises, visiting households and facilities to conduct in-depth interviews, refining study design and survey instruments
• Support/lead in obtaining necessary approvals on the ground for conducting surveys;
• Oversee the implementation of the proposed activities on the ground;
• Supervise data collection and data entry and ensure good quality of the data at each of these two stages
• Assist with data cleaning and preliminary data analysis
• Assist in preparation of documents and presentations for dissemination
• Report to the Research Manager and PIs on all of the activities mentioned above

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• A Bachelors’ or Master’s degree in Economics, or related fields
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English and Hindi.
• Past experience in conducting qualitative interviews or focused-group discussions would be a big plus,
• Experience living or working in a developing country is required; experience conducting surveys in Rajasthan desirable;
• Excellent management and organisational skills along with strong quantitative and qualitative skills
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
• Knowledge of STATA or R
• Familiarity with impact evaluations and randomised controlled trials
• Ability to give and receive completely frank feedback
• Willingness to live in rural or peri-urban areas and travel extensively to study areas is essential

We are looking for a commitment period of 12 months for this position, with the possibility of an extension.  

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorisation to work in India. This covers citizens of India, Nepal or Bhutan, Persons of Indian origin (PIO), and an Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).