Job Title: Technology Specialist, System 3, CSBC
Reports to: Dr Pavan Mamidi, Principal Investigator, System 3
Location: Bengaluru
Experience (in years): 4 to 5 years of professional software or data engineering experience
Nature of work: Full-time, one-year contract, renewable
About the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change
At the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC), we bring together behavioural scientists, policy experts, and researchers to develop novel insights and catalyse action. We partner with governments, non-profits, and corporations to embed behavioural science in programme design, creating solutions that work in practice and at scale. Established by Ashoka University with Gates Foundation support, we make development more people-centric through real-world applications of behavioural science. In recent years, CSBC researchers have contributed 25 peer-reviewed articles to top journals, advancing the nation’s behavioural evidence base and catalysing collaborations with leading institutions such as the University of Chicago, Yale School of Management, the University of Michigan, the Collegio Carlo Alberto, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For more information, please visit https://csbc.org.in/.
About System 3
System 3 is a new research lab under the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC). It will rest on two pillars.
Basic science, from India: Most of what the world knows about how people think, trust and decide comes from a few narrow populations. India, with its range of languages, identities and institutions, is where those claims can be properly tested. We will run foundational, curiosity-driven research on cognition, judgement and behaviour, to learn which findings travel and which were only ever local. We take inspiration from the MIT Media Lab: open, accessible and joyful in the pursuit of credible science.
AI and Behaviour: System 1 and System 2 describe the fast and slow thinking of the human mind, both shaped by the social and institutional worlds around us. System 3 will ask what happens to that mind in the age of AI. How do we learn, judge, trust and decide when intelligent machines are part of everyday life? What do we gain, and what do we quietly give away? This will be a major focus of our research agenda.
The two pillars will reinforce each other. Understanding the human mind in all its diversity will let us study how AI changes it.
We are a small team, early in our journey, based in Bengaluru. We are looking for people who like building something from scratch, who take ownership without waiting to be asked, and who are as comfortable rolling up their sleeves as thinking big.
Role and Responsibilities
System 3 is hiring a Technology Specialist to build the technical foundations of its research on human behaviour and AI. The Technology Specialist will design and build the systems where people work with AI, so that we can measure how it changes the way they think, trust and decide. The role suits an engineer who wants their work to answer scientific questions, and who enjoys building something new in a small, ambitious team. Reporting to Dr Pavan Mamidi, the Technology Specialist will work directly with the Principal Investigators who lead our AI research and will see their work used in studies as soon as they start.
What the Technology Specialist will do:
- Build AI-interaction testbeds
- Build instrumented environments where people work with AI agents and chatbots, capturing interaction traces, timing and behaviour.
- Link these systems to other measures, such as eye-tracking and pupillometry.
- Work with the Principal Investigators to turn research questions into systems that can run studies. - Run the research data infrastructure- Set up secure data collection, storage and de-identification.- Build and maintain data pipelines, automation and version control.- Set up and look after the lab’s computing equipment.
- Keep the lab open- Maintain the lab’s public repository of code, instruments and replication packages.- Write documentation that lets other researchers reproduce our work.
- Build prototypes in the Garage- Build software tools and interfaces in our Behavioural Design and Prototyping Garage, our workshop for making research instruments and tools. Examples include deepfake-detection training and scenario engines for low-literacy, multilingual users.- Show working builds at regular demo days.- Bring in outside specialists when a build needs hardware.
Qualifications
4 to 5 years of professional software or data engineering experience.
Technical Skills
- Building and deploying software in a professional setting, with Python and web applications.
- Working with LLM and agent APIs, including logging their inputs and outputs.
- Databases, and secure handling of sensitive data.
- Version control, testing and documentation.
Desirable
- Online experiment tools such as jsPsych, oTree or lab.js.
- Instrumenting user interaction (logging and telemetry).
- Research or academic lab experience.
- Offline-first or mobile applications.
- Open-source contributions.
- Data privacy and compliance.
Professional Skills
- Enjoys turning a scientist’s question into a working system, and explaining technical choices to non-engineers.
- Takes ownership and works independently.
- Curiosity about how people think and decide, and about how AI changes it.
- A preference for flat teams, where a good idea counts for more than a title.
- Clear writing and good documentation habits.
- Willingness to do whatever a research start-up needs, from fixing a study at short notice to setting up equipment for a public talk.
Application Submission Process
We invite you to embark on this journey by submitting your application to the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change. To ensure your candidacy receives the attention it deserves, kindly follow the application submission process outlined below:
Prepare Your Materials: Please put together the following.
An updated CV: Showcase your professional accomplishments, skills, and experiences.
A concise cover letter: In no more than one page, explain why you are applying and which of your skills you expect to rely on in your first week and your first month on the job.
A link to your work: Share a link to your code or projects (GitHub or similar), with a short note on one project you are proud of. Please be ready to discuss it at the interview.
A professional referee: The name and email address of a manager or colleague who can speak to your work (a professional, not an academic, reference). We will contact referees only after screening CVs, so please let them know we may be in touch.
Submit Your Application: Email your materials to [email protected], ensuring the subject line reads as follows: “Tech Specialist_System 3_”. Make sure your surname is included in the titles of all attachments. This will help us efficiently process your application.
Include Essential Details: Along with your materials, kindly provide the following information:
Last compensation received: We value your expertise and acknowledge the importance of fair compensation.
Expected salary: Share your aspirations for growth and remuneration.
Notice period: Inform us of the time required to transition from your current role, if applicable.
Pursuit of Excellence: At Ashoka University, we strive for excellence in all aspects of our operations. Therefore, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted as part of our rigorous selection process.
Adherence to Deadlines: Applications should be submitted by 15 November 2026, 5:00 pm IST. While late applications will not be considered, eligible applications may be reviewed and shortlisted on a rolling basis prior to the deadline.
We look forward to receiving your application as we embark together on a remarkable journey of professional growth and development. Join our exceptional community at Ashoka University, where excellence is nurtured, and aspirations are transformed into reality.
https://csbc.org.in/ [email protected]
ABOUT ASHOKA UNIVERSITY
Ashoka University is India's premier interdisciplinary higher education and research-focused institution, offering world-class opportunities in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Established in 2014 by leaders, thinkers, academics, and philanthropists from diverse fields, it operates on a unique model of collective philanthropy, integrating exemplary governance standards with cutting-edge pedagogy and a faculty body of international acclaim.
Today, the University has a community of 3000+ students and operates seven Schools imparting industry-oriented education, professional skills, and values-based learning to prepare students for global careers. The University espouses principles of inclusivity and diversity, having more than 57% women, 4% international scholars, 100+ students with disabilities, and over 47% students on scholarships. Since its inception, Rs 723 crores have been awarded in scholarships with over 2,000 students receiving full-tuition fee waivers cumulatively and 5400+ students being supported through scholarships. In addition, nearly 5500 of Ashoka's alumni are pursuing careers of their choice in reputed organisations and leading universities across the world.
Ashoka University continues to reaffirm its commitment to building an inclusive institution of excellence in teaching and research, nurturing responsible leaders for India and the world. In 2025, Ashoka University was honoured with the 'University of the Year (Emerging)' award at the 20th FICCI Higher Education Summit 2025 - one of India's notable industry platforms celebrating excellence in academia and innovation. The University also secured the first position in the Indian Institutional Ranking Framework (IIRF) 2025 in two prestigious categories.
The Ashoka advantage will continue to equip its students with the skills to see the big picture - to critically analyse, question, interpret, craft compelling arguments, and find sustainable solutions. It is a collective effort towards nation-building. This is where tomorrow's leaders are born.
Check out the Ashoka Website to know more : https://www.ashoka.edu.in/