UNU Resource Nexus, based in Dresden, Germany, is one of the research and training institutes of the United Nations University, a global think tank within the UN system. The Institute develops strategies for the sustainable use and integrated management of environmental resources such as water, soil, materials, climate, food, waste and energy.
The Student Assistant will support the Construction Genome for Circular Systems from the House of No Waste (HØW-GENIUS) project. The project builds a data-driven framework to identify and classify circular construction strategies using the global House of No Waste (HØW) dataset, deriving circular archetypes and a "construction genome" that are mapped onto the research areas of the Cluster of Excellence CARE (Climate-Neutral and Resource-Efficient Construction). Outputs will inform CARE projects, a scientific publication and a policy brief.
Responsibilities:
- Support curation and structuring of the HØW dataset (225 eligible submissions), including textual, visual and metadata.
- Conduct a literature review on circular construction, construction/design taxonomies, archetypes and classification methods.
- Support development and documentation of the HØW-GENIUS codebook; pilot the coding framework and systematically code selected HØW projects under supervision.
- Support data cleaning, quality assurance and consistency checks; support interpretation of clusters and development of circular construction archetypes.
- Map identified features and archetypes against CARE Research Areas.
- Prepare research documentation for transparency and reproducibility; support figures, tables and references for the planned publication.
- Prepare materials for internal seminars and workshops; assist with the policy brief and dissemination of results.
- Maintain research files, datasets, coding records and version control; support meeting scheduling.
Qualifications:
- Enrolment in a Master's programme at a recognised university in architecture, civil or structural engineering, construction engineering/building science, environmental or sustainability science, urban planning/studies, circular economy or a relevant field.
- Experience with structured datasets, qualitative content analysis and/or data visualisation is an asset.
- Strong communication and writing skills; strong planning, organisation and time management.
- Team player able to work in a multicultural environment.
- Professional-level English required; German and another UN official language are assets.
Contract: Consultant Contract (CTC) paid on an hourly rate; remote or Dresden-based; immediate start. UNU does not sponsor a working visa for this position.
Application Deadline: 08 October 2026
HOW TO APPLY:
Apply via the apply link on the UNU careers page (no account needed). Fill out the UNU P11 Form, provide proof of enrolment in a Master's programme, provide copies of educational credentials listed in the P11, include a motivation statement (in the P11 form), and answer a few questions tailored to the position. Submissions must be received by 23:59 CEST on 08 October 2026.
https://careers.unu.edu/o/student-assistant-consultancy-contract-ctc-1