Project: “Closing Gender Gaps through Economics Research in Armenia,” implemented by the AUA Manoogian Simone College of Business and Economics in partnership with the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE), funded by the Swedish Institute under the Eastern Partnership Cooperation framework

Location: Yerevan, Armenia (AUA campus and participating schools)

Reports to: Principal Investigator, Prof. Knar Khachatryan, and the project research team

Project Background

Within the applied research and policy engagement component of the project, the research team is studying women’s underrepresentation in STEM fields. In collaboration with the CareerLab Career and Mobility Center, the team has developed a career orientation module for school-aged students, whose effectiveness will be evaluated through randomized interventions. With the approval of the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports (MoESCS), the experimental program will be implemented in 14 selected basic schools of Yerevan during the first semester of the 2026–27 academic year, in three ninth-grade classes per school, within the framework of the “Career Orientation” extracurricular club. The intervention consists of several modules delivered by invited career orientation specialists; in line with the study’s randomization design, some schools will receive the module on values and stereotypes, while others will receive a session with STEM professionals. Study outcomes will subsequently be analyzed in cooperation with the National Center for Education Development, and a comprehensive report will be submitted to the MoESCS to inform evidence-based policymaking.

Position Summary

The Research Assistant will support the research team in the planning, communication, and coordination of the field implementation of the experimental career orientation program. The RA will serve as the operational focal point between the research team, the participating schools, invited trainers and STEM professionals, CareerLab, and other stakeholders, ensuring that sessions are scheduled and delivered according to the study protocol and that consent and data collection procedures are properly prepared.