Senior Research Associate

Research & Insight Generation

• Lead cross-disciplinary research which will include latest thinking on business support programs, trends in target industries, the latest national programs and initiatives, and urban planning and placemaking best practice.
• Analyze global and regional trends in entrepreneurship, relevant technology, and innovation neighborhood development in the context of Emirates, national and regional competitiveness.
• Conduct benchmarking, case studies, and policy analysis to identify global best practices in innovation districts, creative economies, and growth hubs:
  Including how success should be measured and recorded.
• Synthesize quantitative and qualitative data into concise, evidence-based recommendations, and very importantly, new thinking and ideas for how MiZa can set a new standard in these areas.

• Translate research outputs into high-impact visual formats including dashboards, maps, and infographics, using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Design and build automated, interactive dashboards that track key metrics related to business performance, innovation outputs, and urban development indicators.
• Develop board-ready presentations and reports that communicate complex insights in an engaging, visually coherent, and actionable format.
• Support the preparation of CAPEX/investment decks, government-level presentations for potential partners, and strategy briefings for senior decision-makers.

• Source and work closely with economists, strategists, architects, and innovation consultants to ensure research outputs are in depth enough and align with project goals.
• Contribute across placemaking & urban planning, experiential decisions and programming (business growth and cultural) by integrating socio-economic data with spatial and business insights.
• Liaise with data providers, government agencies, and think tanks to obtain and validate data sources.
• Set organizational standards for research and analysis in best practices for data visualization and storytelling. Steer the work of fellows, residents and others on their projects for MiZa.