Best Jobs For Former Research Assistants [2026]

Transitioning from a research assistant role can be daunting in today’s competitive job market. Many former research assistants are exploring new paths, leading to a dynamic shift in career trajectories.

While the number of students pursuing degrees that lead to research assistant positions remains steady, the influx of new applicants into these roles has seen a decline. As a result, many professionals are seeking alternative career opportunities that align with their skills and interests.

So, where are these former research assistants heading?

To uncover the most common career moves, we analyzed the resumes of former research assistants, sorting through thousands of cases to identify the top 100 jobs they transitioned into after leaving the field.

In this article, we highlight some of the most intriguing and unexpected career paths taken by former research assistants.

Best Jobs For Former Research Assistants

While the appeal of these roles varies, they undeniably offer exciting opportunities for those with research backgrounds.

Explore the comprehensive list of jobs below.

Detailed Ranking of the Most Common Jobs of Former Research Assistants

Rank	Job Title	%
1	Teaching Assistant	2.97%
2	Internship	2.94%
3	Graduate Research Assistant	2.51%
4	Research Associate	1.85%
5	Volunteer	0.97%
6	Research Scientist	0.93%
7	Fellow	0.91%
8	Scientist	0.86%
9	Research Fellow	0.78%
10	Senior Scientist	0.67%
11	Graduate Assistant	0.65%
12	Consultant	0.6%
13	Project Manager	0.6%
14	Graduate Teaching Assistant	0.6%
15	Administrative Assistant	0.57%
16	Laboratory Technician	0.56%
17	Software Engineer	0.56%
18	Sales Associate	0.51%
19	Research Internship	0.49%
20	Researcher	0.49%
21	Associate	0.47%
22	Instructor	0.44%
23	Postdoctoral Research Associate	0.43%
24	Data Analyst	0.42%
25	Research Technician	0.42%
26	Process Engineer	0.41%
27	Engineer	0.4%
28	Tutor	0.39%
29	Teacher	0.39%
30	Research Analyst	0.37%
31	Mechanical Engineer	0.37%
32	Associate Scientist	0.37%
33	Engineering Internship	0.36%
34	Law Clerk	0.36%
35	Server	0.35%
36	Analyst	0.35%
37	Registered Nurse	0.34%
38	Adjunct Professor	0.31%
39	Manager	0.3%
40	Postdoctoral Research Assistant	0.3%
41	Research And Development Internship	0.28%
42	Substitute Teacher	0.28%
43	Laboratory Assistant	0.27%
44	Chemist	0.27%
45	Project Engineer	0.27%
46	Clinical Research Coordinator	0.27%
47	Assistant Professor	0.27%
48	Program Manager	0.26%
49	Teacher Assistant	0.26%
50	Post Doctoral Researcher	0.26%
51	Software Developer	0.26%
52	Graduate Researcher	0.25%
53	Graduate Student Assistant	0.25%
54	Customer Service Representative	0.25%
55	Attorney	0.24%
56	Adjunct Faculty	0.24%
57	Assistant Manager	0.24%
58	Systems Engineer	0.24%
59	Design Engineer	0.23%
60	Research Engineer	0.23%
61	Team Leader	0.23%
62	Student Research Assistant	0.23%
63	Business Analyst	0.22%
64	Research And Development Engineer	0.22%
65	Program Coordinator	0.21%
66	Office Assistant	0.21%
67	Assistant	0.21%
68	Specialist	0.2%
69	Project Coordinator	0.2%
70	Research Specialist	0.2%
71	Laboratory Manager	0.2%
72	Senior Software Engineer	0.2%
73	Postdoctoral Associate	0.2%
74	Marketing Internship	0.2%
75	Research Coordinator	0.2%
76	Legal Extern	0.19%
77	President	0.19%
78	Pharmacist Technician	0.19%
79	Student Assistant	0.18%
80	Staff Scientist	0.18%
81	Electrical Engineer	0.18%
82	Software Engineering Internship	0.18%
83	Senior Engineer	0.18%
84	Manufacturing Engineer	0.17%
85	Supervisor	0.17%
86	Data Scientist	0.17%
87	Associate Attorney	0.17%
88	Office Manager	0.17%
89	Senior Research Associate	0.16%
90	Technician	0.16%
91	Case Manager	0.16%
92	Quality Engineer	0.16%
93	Cashier	0.16%
94	Physician Assistant	0.16%
95	Coordinator	0.15%
96	Speech Language Pathologist	0.15%
97	Vice President	0.15%
98	Operations Manager	0.15%
99	Environmental Scientist	0.15%
100	Adjunct Instructor	0.14%

Most Common Jobs For Former Research Assistants

These roles are not only suitable for former research assistants but also provide valuable skills and experiences that can lead to diverse career paths.

How We Determined the Best Jobs of Former Research Assistants

Our analysis utilized data from a comprehensive database of over 7 million resumes, focusing on those that indicated research assistant as part of their work history. We then identified subsequent job roles to determine the most common career paths for these individuals, ranking them by frequency.

To highlight unique roles, we sifted through the ranked list to find positions that:

Appeared in less than 1% of all new job listings
Were not included in the 100 most common jobs identified in our database

Ultimately, this approach offers insight into the diverse opportunities available to former research assistants in today’s evolving job market.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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