How To Become A Research Assistant Professor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a research assistant professor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Daniel Patten Ph.D.

You may find yourself working part-time or as a visiting professor for the position of a research assistant professor. You would normally work in a college or university where you will be required to provide assistance to professors and perform support tasks such as conducting interviews and surveys, performing experiments and assessments, gathering and analyzing samples, and maintaining records of all studies.

You might also be required to teach undergraduates whenever you are in the institution; this will require you to prepare lecture materials and aid in the assessment of students. You are expected to publish research papers and reports and submit program applications to NIH, DTRA, and DARPA.

This role requires that you have a doctoral degree in a relevant field such as biochemistry, molecular biology, or biophysics. Your mean annual wage is $69,000. Highly rated skills that must be included in your resume include research, coordination of research projects, python, and data analysis, amongst others.

What general advice would you give to a research assistant professor?

Dr. Betsy Smith

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths, like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.

ScoreResearch Assistant ProfessorUS Average

Salary

5.7

Avg. Salary $73,455

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.5

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%

Asian 16.73%

Black or African American 8.55%

Hispanic or Latino 15.08%

Unknown 6.02%

White 52.59%

Gender

female 37.12%

male 62.88%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a research assistant professor

Explore research assistant professor education requirements

Most common research assistant professor degrees

Doctorate

43.9 %

Bachelor's

40.4 %

Master's

12.3 %

Start to develop specific research assistant professor skills

Skills	Percentages
Research Projects	9.11%
Biomedical	6.82%
Research Program	6.67%
Independent Research	6.14%
Public Health	5.41%

Complete relevant research assistant professor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research assistant professors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a research assistant professor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research assistant professor resumes.

Research research assistant professor duties and responsibilities

Manage UW small animal MRI facility.
Manage all aspects of HPLC method development and analysis through interpretation of data ensuring accuracy of results.
Conduct basic and apply research on HIV immunology.
Apply SAS and SPSS programming in a variety of research contexts.

Prepare your research assistant professor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research assistant professor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a research assistant professor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable research assistant professor resume templates

Build a professional research assistant professor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your research assistant professor resume.

Apply for research assistant professor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research assistant professor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first research assistant professor job

Nan Moe

Research Assistant Professor

I am Dr. Nan Myint Moe. I am a university teacher. My career began as a tutor in the Oriental Studies Department at the University of Foreign Languages (1997-2003). I then worked at Dawei University from 2003 to 2005, and subsequently at the University of East as an Assistant Lecturer (2005-2010). I became a Lecturer of Oriental Studies at Ping Long University in Shan State (2010-November 2011), and from 2011 to 2015, I was a Lecturer in the Oriental Studies Department at Yangon University. There, I was also an Assistant Research Lecturer. Currently, I am a Visiting Professor in the Department of Humanities at Pride ISM International School, where I teach Myanmar Language. After that, I taught at ILBSM International School as a teacher of Oxford Social Studies and now at A4 International School as a teacher of Social Studies. My main focus is on university-level Oriental Studies.

Average research assistant professor salary

The average research assistant professor salary in the United States is $73,455 per year or $35 per hour. Research assistant professor salaries range between $52,000 and $102,000 per year.

Average research assistant professor salary

$73,455 Yearly

$35.31 hourly

How do research assistant professors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Research assistant professor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

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What is a research assistant professor and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a research assistant professor?

Research assistant professor career paths

Key steps to become a research assistant professor

Explore research assistant professor education requirements

Most common research assistant professor degrees

Start to develop specific research assistant professor skills

Complete relevant research assistant professor training and internships

Research research assistant professor duties and responsibilities

Prepare your research assistant professor resume

Choose from 10+ customizable research assistant professor resume templates

Apply for research assistant professor jobs

How did you land your first research assistant professor job

Average research assistant professor salary

How do research assistant professors rate their job?

Research assistant professor reviews