IMPERIAL COLLEGE BUSINESS SCHOOL
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
3 x Research Associates (1–2 year contract)
Department:
Imperial College Business School
Grade:
Academic and Research Job Family, Level B
Reports to:
Academic staff members, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group
Key Working Relationships:
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group, other Business School and
Imperial College Academic & Research Staff
Catalysing Economic Growth: Releasing the Value of Big Data
How will big data affect innovation, growth and well-being in the UK economy? By big data we mean very
large or complex datasets that are accumulating in society because of the dramatically increased ability to
sense, capture, store and analyse information about social, economic, or scientific phenomena. We anticipate
that big data and associated analytics may ultimately transform how societies and communities view
themselves, and how governments, large corporations, and entrepreneurial companies relate to those
populations. Therefore it is essential to consider how big data might contribute to economic growth and
generate opportunities for innovation for UK companies. To shape this discussion, we develop a multidisciplinary approach that combines economic modelling and measurement, business modelling, and insight
into technological dynamics. This project will create, analyse and describe new economic and business
models for valuing big data and demonstrate how this can impact upon economic growth for the UK economy.
We will investigate both how firms innovate and compete around big data and how the local technical and
regulatory frameworks enable the commercialization and consumption of the information that big data
generate. Our research brings together leading scholars in Economics, Business, and Computing to
investigate critical societal and industrial issues related to big data.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS
Key Responsibilities:
The researchers will be based in London and work within an interdisciplinary research team, in close
collaboration with colleagues in industry and other research organisations. Duties will cover all aspects of the
research and involve working jointly with the Principal Investigator or Co-Investigators. Areas of primary
responsibility will be:
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Literature review and monitoring trade & academic journals
Observation, interviews or archival data collection
Qualitative or quantitative (econometric) data analysis
Preparation of internal reports and formatting data for archiving
Taking the lead on at least two academic papers per year and contributing to others from the team
Day-to-day administrative liaison with advisory group, case companies and other ‘users’
Preparation for advisory group, programme meetings and draft reports
Attending at least one academic conference per year to present papers on the project
Organisation of user group meetings and conferences
Planning and carrying out research in accordance with the project aims
Complying with relevant College policies, including Financial Regulations, Equal Opportunities Policy,
Promoting Race Equality Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Information Systems Security Policy and
Intellectual Property Rights and Register of Interests Policies.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
RESESEARCH ASSOCIATE
(IMPERIAL COLLEGE BUSINESS SCHOOL)
Applicants for these posts should demonstrate how their skills and experience meet the following Person
Specifications:
Experience
Research Associate RA1 (computer science and business)
This RA should have proven knowledge and skills at the interface of computer science and
economics/management in order to study, understand and create original business models and technical
frameworks that can leverage the potential of large-scale data resources and data streams. The focus will be
on the creation of digital chains where value is created through data aggregation, transformation and analysis.
The RA will need to perform technical, economic and business analysis of digital value chains. Therefore
applicants with a proven knowledge and expertise in one or more of the following will be preferred:
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Web-Services technologies
Workflow based systems and web-service choreographies
Supply-chain middleware and integration technologies
Virtual Organisation infrastructures
Workflows for data aggregation and transformation
Data analytics
Distributed Systems
Business Modelling
Digital Value Chains
Interview-based data collection
Research Associate RA2 (applied microeconomics)
This RA will conduct quantitative empirical work on data to be collected in this project. Topics include
contractual and technical data sharing agreements, intellectual property rights for data, and productivity
effects of big data. Experience in the following areas is highly desirable:
 Investigating a complex set of strategic, economic, and legal issues that concern digital industries.
 Analysing digital platform businesses.
 State-of-the-art econometric methods
 Ability to model complex economic phenomena
Research Associate RA3 (applied macroeconomics)
The duties of this RA will include meetings with statistics agencies in order to discuss big data measurement
in the National Accounts; meeting with selected big data industry players to measure their software methods
and data-related IT spending; adjustment of current national accounts data so that we can better measure the
effect of big data on GDP; adjustment of back series and, time allowing, data in other countries to work out
the effects of big data on growth; and econometric work to see if we can e.g. estimate markups and
productivity of the big data process. There will likely be an opportunity to work on UK and/or cross-country
data on intangibles more generally. Experience in the following areas is essential or highly desirable:
 The understanding and interpretation of economic data (essential)
 Econometric analysis (essential)
 Economic and econometric theory and analysis of macro and industry input and output data
(essential)
 National accounts methods and conventions (highly desirable)
 Interacting with public and private data providers, domestic and internationally (highly desirable)
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Qualifications
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RA1: PhD or MSc in computer science or management
RA2: PhD in applied microeconomics, industrial organization, or strategic management
RA3: PhD in Economics
Skills/Abilities (all RA positions)
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Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Excellent inter-personal skills
Excellent management and liaison skills
Good co-ordinating and organising skills
Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write technical reports clearly and succinctly
Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision
Ability to prioritise own work in response to deadlines
Demonstrable evidence of initiative
Ability to travel within the UK and overseas to conduct research in client sites and attend research
meetings
Knowledge of economics of information, or organisational economics, or innovation management
theory, and qualitative or quantitative empirical research methods.
The ideal start date for all RAs is October 1, 2013.
The postholder is expected to observe and comply with all College policies and regulations, for example Health and
Safety, Data Protection etc.
Imperial College is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating discrimination. All employees are expected to
adhere to the principles set out in its Equal Opportunities in Employment Policy, Promoting Race Equality Policy and
Disability Policy and all other relevant guidance/practice frameworks.
Since job descriptions cannot be exhaustive; the post holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly
in line with the above key responsibilities
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