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

What is a research associate professor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

Some professors focus on teaching students, others on writing books, while still others consider research the most critical part of their job. A research associate professor is a professor who primarily focuses on researching while working at a university. Some are expected to teach students as well, but others dedicate all their time to research, depending on the school.

The subject that a research associate professor researches depends on the field. There are research associate professors that focus on statistics and others that specialize in public health. No matter their field of study, research associate professors spend their days designing experiments, performing them, and analyzing the results.

Most research associate professors have doctoral degrees, usually in a scientific field. Most research associate professor positions are temporary, but they provide a great opportunity for researchers to dedicate themselves to a specific question for a period of time. This position usually requires many long hours spent at a lab.

What general advice would you give to a research associate 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 Associate ProfessorUS Average

Salary

7.4

Avg. Salary $94,301

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.2

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 17.55%

Black or African American 6.20%

Hispanic or Latino 8.93%

Unknown 4.78%

White 62.26%

Gender

female 30.43%

male 69.57%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

5.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a research associate professor

Explore research associate professor education requirements

Most common research associate professor degrees

Bachelor's

40.6 %

Doctorate

36.6 %

Master's

20.5 %

Start to develop specific research associate professor skills

Skills	Percentages
Public Health	15.11%
Biomedical	11.97%
Research Projects	10.79%
SAS	6.42%
NIH	6.15%

Research research associate professor duties and responsibilities

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Conduct NIH sponsor studies on HIV/AIDS in African-American and Hispanic populations in Alabama.
Train students in electron microscopy, laser safety, vacuum technology, chemistry, instrumentation, and other laboratory procedures.
Identify glucose-induced increases in the phosphorylation levels of interest proteins, including metabolic enzymes and transcription factors by analyzing phosphoproteomics data.

Prepare your research associate professor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your research associate 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 associate 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 associate professor resume templates

Build a professional research associate 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 associate professor resume.

Apply for research associate professor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a research associate 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

Average research associate professor salary

The average research associate professor salary in the United States is $94,301 per year or $45 per hour. Research associate professor salaries range between $58,000 and $151,000 per year.

Average research associate professor salary

$94,301 Yearly

$45.34 hourly

How do research associate professors rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Research associate professor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019

Pros

Science of observation

What is a research associate professor and how to become one

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

Research associate professor career paths

Key steps to become a research associate professor

Explore research associate professor education requirements

Most common research associate professor degrees

Start to develop specific research associate professor skills

Research research associate professor duties and responsibilities

Prepare your research associate professor resume

Choose from 10+ customizable research associate professor resume templates

Apply for research associate professor jobs

How did you land your first research associate professor job

Average research associate professor salary

How do research associate professors rate their job?

Research associate professor reviews