Student Research Associate Programme (Gender Law) at the Justice Definitions Project, DAKSH, with Margins to Access Project (Virtual; Unpaid; 2 Months)

The Justice Definitions Project was launched in August 2023 by the Judicial Data Collaborative. It is a volunteer and community-driven initiative building the Justice Definitions Wiki, a free and open-access platform that explains legal and justice-system terminology in plain language. The wiki is co-curated by India's legal community, with contributions from law students, academics, practitioners, law firms and research institutions.

Day-to-day operations sit with a team at DAKSH, Bengaluru. Judicial Data Collaborative partners behind the platform include DAKSH, Common Cause India, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, XKDR Forum, India Justice Report, Nyaaya, OpenNyAI, Justice Hub, Justice Adda, SIPLA at NLSIU Bengaluru, National Law University Odisha, the Centre for Law and Society at GNLU, the Centre for Criminology, Criminal Justice and Victimology at RGNUL Punjab, the Cyril Shroff Centre for AI, Law and Regulation at JGU, TrustBridge, Digital Futures Lab and Civic Data Lab. The project is funded by the Samagata Foundation.

The Margins to Access Project, previously the Migration and Asylum Project, is a legal aid centre working at the intersection of migration, gender and justice, and is committed to facilitating access to justice through systemic and sustainable change. It runs four programmes: Gender Equality and Empowerment (GEE), Labour Mobility and Migration (LMM), Displacement, Movement and Inclusion (DMI), and Towards an Inclusive Legal Terrain (TILT), and works across Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Uttarakhand.

This cohort of the Student Research Associate Programme is run in collaboration with MAP, and its thematic focus is Gender Law.

• Thematic area: Gender Law
• Collaborating organisation: Margins to Access Project (MAP)
• Applications opened: 29 July 2026
• Application deadline: 10 August 2026
• Duration: two months, 19 August 2026 to 19 October 2026
• Mode: fully virtual and remote
• Stipend: none, this is a non-stipend programme

The programme is designed to place motivated students in a structured research environment. Associates work inside a thematic working group to research assigned terms and translate their findings into clear, concise and verifiable wiki pages.

• Research and content curation: conduct in-depth research on an assigned legal or justice-related term.
• Wiki curation: curate and significantly improve existing entries, following the wiki's style guide and its standards for neutrality and verification.
• Proofreading and sourcing: use reliable sources such as academic journals, legal texts and established reports, and cite all information properly.
• Collaboration: take part in regular check-ins with wiki reviewers and work with other associates on shared projects.
• Peer review: give constructive feedback on the work of fellow associates.

Every Student Research Associate is placed in a thematic working group based on interest, and coordinates with reviewers and subject-matter experts who serve as mentors, offering guidance on the subject matter and insight into the project.

• Registration for this cohort is open to students pursuing a law degree and to students of allied courses, including Sociology, Gender Studies, Political Science, Humanities and Public Policy.
• Applicants must be currently enrolled in their course or programme.
• Proficiency in academic writing and the ability to translate complex ideas into clear, accessible prose.
• Availability to give a minimum of 6 to 8 hours a week to the programme for the duration of the cycle.

The organisers state plainly that the Student Research Associate Programme is a non-stipend programme focused on skill development and professional exposure. There is no salary, stipend or honorarium, and there is no fee to apply or to take part.

• Research skills: practical experience in locating, evaluating and synthesising scholarly information.
• Professional portfolio: a body of work attributed to the associate on the Justice Definitions Wiki, usable as evidence of research capability for employers or graduate programmes.
• Networking: connections with scholars, legal professionals and peers in the wiki community.

Applications are made through the programme's online form, linked below. Shortlisted candidates are then invited for an interview to discuss their research interests and availability.

The organisers' own Events and Programs page lists 10 August 2026 as the last date for this cohort. Because the application form for the Gender Law cohort went live after that announcement was posted, applicants who need the position confirmed should write to the DAKSH operations team at the addresses in the contact section before submitting.