CALL FOR APPLICATIONS : Research Associate (01 Post) on a Contractual Basis

Applications are invited from eligible candidates for engagement as Research Associate on a contractual, full-time basis in the sponsored research project being undertaken by the Centre for Research in Land & Housing: Law, Policy and Governance, National Law University, Jodhpur, as the Regional Centre for the Western Region under the national initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India.

1. About the Centre

The Centre for Research in Land & Housing: Law, Policy and Governance has been established as a Centre of National Law University, Jodhpur, to advance research, teaching, capacity-building and policy engagement in the law and governance of land and shelter. In the first instance, the Centre is devoted to the MoHUA initiative, under which the Ministry is collaborating with leading National Law Universities through Regional Centres that undertake legal research, policy analysis and reform recommendations for strengthening the urban housing ecosystem, in support of PMAY-U 2.0 and the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. NLU Jodhpur has been included by MoHUA amongst the premier institutions shortlisted for this purpose and functions as the Regional Centre for the Western Region.

2. About the Project

The project, to be executed over an initial period of three years from the date of signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with MoHUA, addresses the legal, regulatory and institutional impediments to affordable housing through a multi-level lens encompassing Central, State and Urban Local Body (ULB) frameworks. Its principal areas of inquiry include:

• land titling and records, agricultural land conversion, and legal frameworks for land pooling, value capture and assembly;
• tenancy law reform, including the adoption of the Model Tenancy Act;
• approval mechanisms, building bye-laws and RERA compliance, including the adjudicatory practice of the Rajasthan Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RRERA);
• contract enforcement, stamp duty and registration, and urban planning and inclusionary zoning.

The project will produce a comprehensive legal mapping report and bottleneck register, consultation reports and policy briefs, model laws, bye-laws and standardised contracts, training modules and legal literacy programmes, and a searchable legal repository with a legal-tech prototype.

3. Particulars of the Position

4. Eligibility

Note: Mere possession of the minimum qualifications shall not entitle a candidate to be called for interview or to be appointed. Preference shall be given to candidates with demonstrated research experience and publications in land, housing and real estate law or allied fields.

5. Duration and Terms of Engagement

• The engagement shall initially be for a period of [one (01) year] from the date of joining, extendable on the basis of satisfactory performance and subject to the availability of project funds, and shall in no case extend beyond the duration of the MoHUA project.
• The engagement is purely contractual and co-terminus with the project. It shall not confer any right or claim to regular appointment, continued engagement or absorption in the University.
• The selected candidate shall be entitled only to the consolidated monthly remuneration stated above and shall not be entitled to any other allowance or benefit, including HRA, medical, pension or retirement benefits. Travel undertaken for project fieldwork shall be reimbursed as per University norms and project provisions.
• The engagement may be terminated by either party by giving one month’s notice, or by the University forthwith in the event of unsatisfactory performance or breach of the terms of engagement.
• The selected candidate shall work under the supervision of the Vice-Chancellor, Director and the Co-Director of the Centre.

6. Roles and Responsibilities

• Undertake doctrinal and empirical research on Central, State and ULB-level laws, rules, regulations and bye-laws relating to land, housing and urban development, and assist in preparing the Legal Mapping Report and Bottleneck Register.
• Collect, analyse and summarise judgments and orders of RERA authorities and Appellate Tribunals, with particular reference to Rajasthan and the Western Region, and of the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
• Assist in the drafting of model legal provisions, bye-law templates, tenancy agreements, standardised housing contracts and frameworks for land monetisation, pooling and assembly.
• Coordinate and document stakeholder consultations and policy roundtables with State Governments, ULBs, housing boards, developers and civil society, and prepare consultation reports and policy briefs.
• Assist in designing and conducting capacity-building workshops for government functionaries and legal literacy programmes for low-income communities, including the preparation of training modules and multilingual guides.
• Contribute to the development of the Centre’s legal resource repository and legal-tech prototype, including case-law summaries and structured datasets.
• Assist in drafting the Inception Report, interim progress and completion reports, and the Final Report to MoHUA, and in maintaining project records required for reporting and utilisation.
• Supervise and coordinate student research assistants and interns associated with the Centre, and undertake any other project-related task assigned by the Director/Co-Director.

7. Code of Conduct

• Integrity in data collection, analysis and reporting, with no fabrication, falsification or plagiarism.
• Strict confidentiality of unpublished data, internal deliberations and draft deliverables. No part of the project work shall be published or shared independently without the prior written permission of the Director of the Centre.
• Intellectual property in all work produced under the project shall vest in accordance with the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between the University and MoHUA.
• A neutral, evidence-based approach, disclosure of any conflict of interest, and professional conduct in all dealings with officials, stakeholders and communities.
• Compliance with the rules, regulations and policies of National Law University, Jodhpur, as applicable from time to time.

8. How to Apply

• Interested candidates shall send their applications by e-mail to [recruitment@nlujodhpur.ac.in] and cc to [crlh@nlujodhpur.ac.in] with the subject line “Application for the Post of Research Associate – Centre for Research in Land & Housing”, on or before [16.11.2026].
• The application shall be submitted as a single PDF file comprising: (i) a detailed Curriculum Vitae; (ii) a Statement of Purpose of not more than 500 words setting out the candidate’s interest in and suitability for the position; (iii) self-attested copies of mark sheets and degree certificates; and (iv) a list of publications, if any, with links or copies of up to two representative works.
• Incomplete applications, or applications received after the last date, shall not be considered.

9. Selection Process

• Applications shall be scrutinised by a Screening-cum-Selection Committee constituted by the competent authority. Only shortlisted candidates shall be called for interview, the date and mode (physical/online) of which shall be communicated by e-mail.
• No TA/DA shall be admissible for appearing in the interview.
• Candidates employed elsewhere shall produce a No Objection Certificate from their employer at the time of joining.
• The University reserves the right to shortlist candidates, to modify the number of posts, to keep any post vacant, or to cancel this Call for Applications without assigning any reason. The decision of the University in all matters relating to the selection shall be final.

This Call for Applications is issued in connection with the sponsored research project of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, under which National Law University, Jodhpur functions as the Regional Centre for the Western Region.