Research Assistant – Music & Sound Cultures Digital Archive Job Vacancy in UAE Abdu Dhabi
New York University Abu Dhabi’s Music and Sound Cultures (MaSC) Group in the Division of Arts and Humanities is hiring a Research Assistant to support a range of multidisciplinary activities focused on the digital preservation and computational analysis of music from the Arab World and surrounding regions. This is a dynamic opportunity to work at the intersection of music, technology, and cultural heritage.
Job Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Job Industry: Higher Education / Digital Humanities
Job Function: Research & Web Development
Salary: Competitive with housing and education support
Gender: Any
Candidate Nationality: Any
Candidate Current Location: Any
Job Type: Full-time
What Does a Research Assistant in Music and Sound Cultures Do?
This position supports the MaSC group’s digital compendium of music from the Levant, Gulf, East Africa, and South India. The successful candidate will be responsible for web development, music annotation, and digital archiving, working in a collaborative research environment under the guidance of Prof. Carlos Guedes.
What Are the Key Responsibilities?
- Maintain and develop MaSC websites and online experimental tools
- Create browser-based musical applications and demo pages for research tools
- Annotate musical recordings using tools like Sonic Visualizer
- Design metadata tags to support computational music analysis
- Digitize, organize, and preserve regional music recordings according to NYUAD standards
- Prepare digital files for annotation and computational research
- Support research paper writing and conference presentations with the team
- Assist in writing technical documentation and reports
What Skills Are Needed for a Research Role in Abu Dhabi?
Education:
- Bachelor’s degree in Music, Anthropology, Interactive Media, Multimedia, Computer Science, or a related field
Experience:
- Experience in web development using Python, JavaScript, or related languages
- Exposure to sound and music computing or digital media applications
- Background in digital archiving or computational musicology is a strong advantage
- Familiarity with music analysis software (e.g., Sonic Visualizer)
Skills:
- Strong coding, website development, and UI/UX abilities
- Understanding of musical structure, analysis, and metadata tagging
- Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
- Interest in cross-cultural music and digital humanities
- Ability to work independently and in collaboration with researchers and students
What Benefits Come with This Role?
- Competitive, tax-free salary with housing and education subsidies
- Access to advanced labs and digital humanities infrastructure
- Opportunity to contribute to globally recognized cultural preservation initiatives
- Collaborative environment with scholars from multiple disciplines
- Professional development and networking opportunities through NYU’s global research community
About the Company
NYU Abu Dhabi is a world-class research university fostering innovation across the arts, sciences, and humanities. The MaSC group is a unique initiative that blends AI, ethnomusicology, and digital heritage to uncover the rich musical traditions of the Arab world and neighboring regions.
To apply, submit a cover letter, CV, degree transcript, a one-page summary of research interests, and two letters of recommendation in PDF format. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For inquiries, contact Prof. Carlos Guedes at cag204
