Job ID: 291187

Social Justice Researcher

Studio Nilima: Collaborative Network For Research And Capacity Building

Location: Guwahati, Assam

Apply by: 08 May 2026

Relevant Sectors

Capacity Building, Training, Advocacy

Government/Governance, Reforms, Corruption

Human Rights, Law, Migration, Conflicts, Justice

About Studio Nilima
Studio Nilima was founded in 2016 in Guwahati, Assam, as an action-oriented research organisation led by lawyers, academics, and researchers committed to interdisciplinary legal and policy work. It emerged from a shared concern that marginalised communities—particularly those affected by conflict, poverty, and social exclusion—are often excluded from meaningful access to justice.
Bringing together rigorous research and grounded socio-legal practice, Studio Nilima identified correctional institutions (prisons) as a critical yet largely overlooked site of intervention. Within such contexts, incarcerated individuals are often rendered absent from both policy frameworks and legal remedies. The organisation’s work responds directly to this gap by engaging with prisons not just as sites of detention, but as spaces where rights, dignity, and access to justice must be actively upheld.
At its core, Studio Nilima’s ethos is anchored in the vision of an inclusive society. Its mission is to stimulate voices, forge connections, and ensure rights. This translates into a broader goal: to promote justice, dignity, and well-being for incarcerated and justice-impacted communities in Assam. The work focuses on confronting structural inequities within prisons and the wider social context through sustained engagement, combining legal, psychosocial, and livelihood interventions with participatory research and institutional capacity-building.
All of this is grounded in lived experiences, with the aim of enabling humane, evidence based, and lasting systemic change.
Since 2017, Studio Nilima has been working within Assam’s correctional ecosystem through three interlinked programme verticals: Pratidhwani (Access to Justice), Sarothi (Psychosocial Wellbeing), and Sammanoy (Reintegration). These initiatives adopt a systems-oriented approach, engaging not only with incarcerated individuals but also with institutional actors, legal processes, and post-release pathways.

About the Role
Studio Nilima invites applications for the position of Social Justice Researcher, a full-time role that spans its three core programme areas. The position involves sustained engagement with correctional homes, communities, and institutional stakeholders, combining field based inquiry with legal, psychosocial, and reintegration-oriented interventions. The researcher will contribute to developing evidence-based insights grounded in lived experiences, while also supporting programmatic design, advocacy, and knowledge production across the organisation’s verticals.

Key Responsibilities
• Conduct regular field visits to correctional homes across Assam, engaging with
incarcerated individuals, prison staff, and allied stakeholders.
• Generate qualitative and quantitative research outputs that document lived
experiences, institutional practices, and systemic gaps within carceral spaces.
• Support legal research and strategy initiatives under Pratidhwani, including
contributions to litigation, policy advocacy, and coordination with legal aid
institutions such as State and District Legal Services Authorities.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of psychosocial interventions
under Sarothi, including community-based and arts-informed approaches to
wellbeing.
• Engage with reintegration processes under Sammanoy, including documentation of post-release experiences, community engagement, and livelihood-linked initiatives.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to develop reports, policy briefs, and
research publications emerging from field insights.
• Assist in organising capacity-building initiatives for incarcerated individuals,
correctional staff, legal aid providers, and community stakeholders.
• Contribute to organisational knowledge systems, including documentation,
monitoring, and reflective learning processes.
• Undertake additional responsibilities aligned with Studio Nilima’s broader mandate.

Qualifications and Experience
• A degree in Law, Social Sciences, or a related discipline from a recognised institution.
• Prior experience (0–3 years) in research, legal practice, or social justice-oriented
work is desirable.
• Demonstrated interest in issues related to social justice, access to justice, mental health, or community reintegration.
• Strong research, writing, and analytical skills.
• Proficiency in English (spoken and written); working knowledge of Assamese and/or Bengali will be an advantage.

Terms of Engagement
• This is a full-time position based in Guwahati, Assam, with travel to multiple districts as required.
• The duration of the role is two years (June 15, 2026 – May 2028).
• Remuneration will be aligned with the candidate’s experience.

Application Process
Interested applicants are invited to submit:
• A Statement of Purpose (maximum 1000 words), and
• A Curriculum Vitae
Applications should be sent to abantee@studionilima.com by May 8, 2026.

Job Email ID:

abantee(at)studionilima.com