Undergraduate Research Assistant

World Resources Institute India is seeking a Senior Program Research Associate for Power Sector Modelling in New Delhi. The role involves developing and maintaining energy sector datasets, building state-specific power models, conducting literature reviews, and leading capacity-building efforts. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Engineering or Computer Science, with at least 4 years of experience in data handling and analysis, and fluency in English and Hindi.
Senior Program Research Associate (Power Sector Modelling) – Madhya Pradesh

World Resources Institute (WRI) India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. WRI India’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being. We are inspired by and associated with WRI, a research organization. WRI, has deep experience in the energy sector and on climate change across several topic areas and is widely recognized as a leader on energy and climate issues. In India, we have a multi-pronged energy strategy that looks strategically at directing our tools, research, expertise, and partnerships to support India’s clean energy transition across varied economic activities like extraction, production, distribution, consumption and waste management; in ensuring universal access to reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity and minimizing energy losses and thereby contributing to energy planning and policy analysis.
Through strong research, ground-level implementation experience, partnerships with key stakeholders and communicating our work, we seek to achieve impact at scale.
The Energy Program at WRI India is seeking a Senior Program Research Associate (Power Sector Modelling) to work with and support research focused on state’s overall energy transition efforts.
The Senior Research Associate (Power Sector Modelling) will be part of a focused team with the following responsibilities:
• Lead efforts in developing, building, scripting and maintaining large datasets related to the energy sector, including data collection, data analyses and data interpretation
• Co-lead the team in building state-specific power sector models
• Design and simulate different dispatch model scenarios and interpret insights that can help inform decision makers at state level
• Conduct literature review and collate information pertaining to energy sector policies and regulations at the state level including power sector planning, resource adequacy, capacity expansion, production cost and power procurement processes
• Be pro-active in researching and pitching ideas, and understanding policy and regulatory processes
• Lead or co-lead capacity building efforts to effectively communicate findings of the research with identified stakeholders and build knowledge of the ecosystem thereof
• Participate in research projects to produce knowledge products, reports, articles and communication products
• Lead or co-lead specific modules in the project as identified by the Energy Lead
• Perform other tasks as assigned by the Energy lead, including support on research and analysis

Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, a related discipline with exposure to the subject area of programming and energy/power sector
~Minimum 4 years of relevant experience indata handling and analysis, coding, and scripting. Fluency in English and Hindi

Experience with power sector modelling tools and software (e.g., Coding proficiency in Python, with experience in libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, and SciPy for data interpretation and analysis
• Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI or Python libraries like Matplotlib or Seaborn for creating interactive dashboards and reports
• Ability to write scripts for automating data processing and analysis tasks, and knowledge of MS Excel and libraries interfacing Python and Excel
• Knowledge of SQL for querying and managing relational databases (e.g., MySQL) and familiarity with database engines, such as SQLite
• Willingness to learn new tools and modelling techniques related to the energy sector to contribute to on-going/new research projects is a plus
• Strong research and analytical skills, supported by professional experience in the energy sector with contribution to technical papers and research reports
• Willingness to travel locally and ability to work cooperatively with others to demonstrate flexibility in fulfilling assignments is essential

Salary shall be commensurate with experience and skills. WRI offers a generous and comprehensive benefits package.

Duration: 1 year as term hire (extendable based on performance and project requirements)
Cover letter explaining how your academic background and skills meet the requirements of this position.
• Writing samples
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WRI India values and promotes diversity, equity and inclusion across all areas of our work and workforce. It is our responsibility to create a welcoming working environment for people of diverse cultures, backgrounds and experience to learn together. We are responsible for fostering a safe and inclusive workplace where questions, concerns and information about diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our ongoing dialogue and development.
Learn more about WRI India’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
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Term Insurance: Our term insurance policy covers life coverage of 50 lakhs per staff member
Employee Assistance program: Promoting mental well-being and supporting staff in achieving a satisfying work-life balance
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