The Adelaide Graduate Research School (AGRS) and Cufa are partnering to create an internship opportunity for a University of Adelaide PhD student to contribute to an end-of-year project evaluation for their 4-year ‘Cambodia Livelihoods Project’.

Cufa is committed to helping end poverty across the Asia-Pacific. They help communities build better lives for themselves through our three-pillar financial inclusion strategy of earn, save and invest to build sustainable pathways out of poverty.

Cufa is seeking to identify a suitable intern for 60FTE business days, preferably between August and October, subject to availability. The internship would be flexible and comprise a combination of:

• 20 preparation days in Adelaide to prepare field tools and undertake literature review
• 1 day remote in Sydney for consultation and planning purposes
• 14 days of field work in Cambodia
• 25 days in Adelaide to write up field survey results and prepare the final evaluation report

Cufa will cover all interstate and overseas travel and visa expenses, and will also provide a supplementary scholarship to support the student.

The opportunity will involve leading an end-of-project evaluation of our DFAT-funded, 4-year ‘Cambodia Livelihoods Project’. This investment ran between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2023. The Annual Development Plans (ADPlans) will be shared with the selected researcher for review and to provide the benchmark for this assessment. Note a new, more targeted phase of the project – now known as ASPIRE (Australian Social Program for Inclusive for Rural Enterprise) – will start from 1 July 2023 and this close-out evaluation will help inform and provide insight as they progress this next investment.

The evaluation will involve a mixed-methods approach, and the selected applicant will:

• help prepare and administer a qualitative survey instrument with project beneficiaries and capture key findings and learnings
• work with the CEO of Cufa based in Sydney, who oversees the Cambodian portfolio, and the three members of the Cambodian livelihoods team
• be expected to draft a report of about 20 pages in length or around 8000 words.

The nature of the research and development activities for the research internship will include:

• Drawing on research literature and relevant theoretical frameworks
• Develop rigorous qualitative survey tools and harness an online platform to conduct fieldwork
• Meaningful assistance in research and policy development with a focus on identifying strengths and lessons learned from the outgoing project cycle
• Preparing an evaluation report that aims to support the organisation in formulating the next phase of support to rural livelihoods in Cambodia

Expected research outcomes:

• Contributing to life changing research that improves the livelihoods of hundreds of rural Cambodians each year
• Assisting the organisation in conducting an end of cycle evaluation to inform the next three-year investment phase
• Gaining professional industry experience
• Applying research skills to critically review and assess implementation progress against annual development plans, and inform the next program cycle
• Opportunity to strengthen professional network

The selected applicant, their supervisor, and Cufa will have the opportunity to discuss the nature of research and development activities and internship  arrangements post-selection.

Eligibility:  The PhD student must be:  

• within the first 18 months of their candidature,  
• willing to undertake the research internship for a minimum duration of 60 FTE business days,  
• making satisfactory progress, and  
• undertaking research in an area aligned with the proposed research internship project  

More information about University of Adelaide's Research Internships is available here.

Application Process:  To apply, please email the following documents to hdr_internships@adelaide.edu.au (HDR Internships Team) with the subject line – Cufa Internship:  

• Resume
• Cover Letter (of not more than 2 pages) outlining your interest in the internship and describing how your research area aligns with the proposed field of research internship.  

Further Enquiries: Email hdr_internships@adelaide.edu.au