Research Assistant (3 months & Third-Party Contract)

About the role

RMIT Vietnam is seeking a contingent worker for the Research Officer role. While the position is advertised by RMIT Vietnam, the successful candidate will be employed and managed by an external service provider, who will be responsible for the labour contract. WHY JOIN RMIT VIETNAM? At RMIT Vietnam, international exposure meets real-world impact through strong industry and government collaboration. Working at RMIT means building a meaningful career while creating impact in a high-performing environment. Further insight into our mission, impact and global connections is available in the RMIT Vietnam Profile . POSITION SUMMARY Your role This research forms one phase of a broader project examining the emotional and cultural suitability of AI companion tools used for emotional support in Vietnam. The specific phase covered under this ethics application focuses on interviews with experienced mental health professionals to identify common questions that young adults may ask during moments of emotional distress, along with the type of responses typically provided by practitioners. Research Goals: Our study aims to achieve the following goals: Conduct a systematic Literature Review on existing AI Companions and their impact on mental wellbeing Evaluate some existing AI based companion apps (Vietnam Context) and assess their ability to answer prominent queries. Evaluating models based on cultural and demographic contextualization-based prompts Design a standardized prompt-based framework for evaluating AI models Comparative analysis on AI based companion models for Vietnamese context based on Literature and expert-based prompting Propose a framework based on the evaluation. Report to: Dr. Sreenivas Tirumala Indirectly report to: Office of Research and Innovation Key Accountabilities Conduct desktop research. Conduct the Survey and data collection. Interviews with mental wellbeing workers and data collection Perform data synthesis and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected from interviews, surveys, and existing literature, applying established analytical frameworks and tools Contribute Publication writing and funding applications. Collaborate with the research team for innovative approaches for identifying and mitigating noises in the data collected from surveys and literature. This is based on data collected through literature and data collected through interviews. Work with the team to identity AI based companions for future implementations and studies. Based on data analysis and synthesis, evaluate the AI companion apps to identify the suitability based on AI and mental health requirements. Work with the team to design and develop a framework for evaluating AI Companion. The framework will work as a criteria to assess AI companion applications / chatbots. Key Selection Criteria Bachelor's degree in ECS, CS, or a related field and some knowledge about communication, mental wellbeing. At least two years of experience in conducting surveys in healthcare, mental wellbeing or related fields. Familiarity with the process involved in survey and interviews including ethics . Two years of experience in working with Vietnamese context-based literature Some Familiarity with various AI based mental wellbeing apps / companion apps. Self-learner and ability to work independently and collaboratively within a research team. Ability to display appropriate behaviours in line with the position and RMIT Values. Other Information Duration: 03 months Workload: 20 hours per week Highly competitive gross salary Annual leave: 1 day per working month Accident Insurance 24/7 Free use of the onsite gym Library on campus and online - access to RMIT Australia online library HOW TO APPLY To be considered for this role, it is mandatory to submit both a resume and a cover letter. Please click on the 'Apply' link provided in this Job Ads to initiate the application process. Please note that we will be running a rolling recruitment process, so please apply as soon as possible. Compliance Requirements English is the language of teaching and communication at RMIT Vietnam. For this role, the minimum requirement is IELTS General 6.0 (or equivalent CEST 170). Further guidance will be provided during the recruitment process To be eligible for this position, you must be a Vietnamese citizen . Applications received from non-Vietnamese candidates will not be considered. RMIT UNIVERSITY COMMITMENT RMIT is committed to the rights of students and staff to be safe, respected, valued, and treated as an equal in their place of study and work. All staff are expected to share this commitment and contribute to a safer community. While carrying out their role, staff are in a position of trust with students. Staff have a duty of care to report wellbeing concerns about students through the designated channels and uphold the code of conduct. RMIT Vietnam expects all staff members to comply with its Code of Conduct, policies an