What is a research coordinator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Matthew Wright Ph.D.,

Shelly Lesher

A research coordinator manages and plans research projects. They work alongside researchers, scientists, and professionals to complete projects within budget and on time. Research coordinators act as a liaison between the research team and funding agencies, as well as managing administrative tasks such as preparing progress reports, maintaining databases, and managing documentation. Additionally, they assist with data collection and analysis and manage issues that arise. Overall, a research coordinator promotes the success of research projects.

What general advice would you give to a research coordinator?

Matthew Wright Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Physics Department Chair, Director of the Business of Science, Adelphi University

Network Network Network. Keep contact with people on LinkedIn, attend conferences, put yourself out there!

ScoreResearch CoordinatorUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,974

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 10.20%

Black or African American 2.57%

Hispanic or Latino 15.09%

Unknown 7.57%

White 64.05%

Gender

female 70.87%

male 29.13%

Age - 43.5

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 - 43.5

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.3

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a research coordinator?

Pros

Opportunity to work on interesting research projects
Ability to contribute to important scientific advancements
Work can be intellectually stimulating and challenging
Potential for flexible work arrangements, such as part-time or remote work
Competitive salary and benefits packages may be offered

Cons

May require long hours or irregular schedules
May involve dealing with sensitive or emotionally charged topics or populations
May require frequent travel or time away from home
May involve working with limited resources or funding constraints
Can be frustrating if research projects do not yield expected results or face unexpected setbacks

Key steps to become a research coordinator

Explore research coordinator education requirements

Most common research coordinator degrees

Bachelor's

64.8 %

Master's

17.9 %

Associate

8.0 %

Start to develop specific research coordinator skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	10.62%
Informed Consent	7.84%
Data Collection	7.73%
IRB	7.16%
Research Projects	5.63%

Complete relevant research coordinator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research coordinators 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 coordinator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research coordinator resumes.

Gain additional research coordinator certifications

Research coordinator certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific research coordinator certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for research coordinators include Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) and Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC).

More About Certifications

Research research coordinator duties and responsibilities

Manage participant's records ensuring confidentiality as well as NIH specifications.
Manage all IRB submissions, sponsor communications, participate in monitoring visits, drug reconciliation and dispensing.
Recruit, screen, conduct psychometric examinations and collect data for pharmaceutical clinical trials in patients diagnose with Alzheimer's disease.
Maintain confidential information and appropriate ethical professionalism with highly sensitive personal health information; take part in IRB human subjects training.

Prepare your research coordinator resume

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

Build a professional research coordinator 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 coordinator resume.