Become A Research Fellow

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Working As A Research Fellow

Getting Information
Analyzing Data or Information
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Documenting/Recording Information

Mostly Sitting
$50,715
Average Salary

What Does A Research Fellow Do

A Research Fellow develops research objectives, projects, and proposals, and evaluates their outcomes. They also ensure that research fits with the organization's strategy, policy, procedures, and funder requirements.

How To Become A Research Fellow

Medical scientists typically have a Ph.D., usually in biology or a related life science. Some medical scientists get a medical degree instead of a Ph.D., but prefer doing research to practicing as a physician.

Education

Students planning careers as medical scientists typically pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, or a related field. Undergraduate students benefit from taking a broad range of classes, including life sciences, physical sciences, and math. Students also typically take courses that develop communication and writing skills, because they must learn to write grants effectively and publish research findings.

After students have completed their undergraduate studies, they typically enter Ph.D. programs. Dual-degree programs are available that pair a Ph.D. with a range of specialized medical degrees. A few degree programs that are commonly paired with Ph.D. studies are Medical Doctor (M.D.), Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.), Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.), and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.). Whereas Ph.D. studies focus on research methods, such as project design and data interpretation, students in dual-degree programs learn both the clinical skills needed to be a physician and the research skills needed to be a scientist.

Graduate programs emphasize both laboratory work and original research. These programs offer prospective medical scientists the opportunity to develop their experiments and, sometimes, to supervise undergraduates. Ph.D. programs culminate in a thesis that the candidate presents before a committee of professors. Students may specialize in a particular field, such as gerontology, neurology, or cancer.

Those who go to medical school spend most of the first 2 years in labs and classrooms, taking courses such as anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, psychology, microbiology, pathology, medical ethics, and medical law. They also learn how to record medical histories, examine patients, and diagnose illnesses. They may be required to participate in residency programs, meeting the same requirements that physicians and surgeons have to fulfill.

Medical scientists often continue their education with postdoctoral work. Postdoctoral work provides additional and more independent lab experience, including experience in specific processes and techniques such as gene splicing, which is transferable to other research projects.

Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations

Medical scientists primarily conduct research and typically do not need licenses or certifications. However, those who administer drugs, gene therapy, or otherwise practice medicine on patients in clinical trials or a private practice need a license to practice as a physician.

Important Qualities

Communication skills. Communication is critical, because medical scientists must be able to explain their conclusions. In addition, medical scientists write grant proposals, because grants often are required to fund their research.

Critical-thinking skills. Medical scientists must use their expertise to determine the best method for solving a specific research question.

Data-analysis skills. Medical scientists use statistical techniques, so that they can properly quantify and analyze health research questions.

Decisionmaking skills. Medical scientists must determine what research questions to ask, how best to investigate the questions, and what data will best answer the questions.

Observation skills. Medical scientists conduct experiments that require precise observation of samples and other health data. Any mistake could lead to inconclusive or misleading results.

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Research Fellow jobs

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Research Fellow Demographic

Gender

Male
48.0%
Female
37.9%
Unknown
14.1%

Ethnicity

White
56.4%
Asian
30.7%
Hispanic or Latino
7.4%
Unknown
4.5%
Black or African American
1.0%

Languages Spoken

Spanish
27.7%
French
15.5%
Chinese
10.4%
German
6.7%
Mandarin
5.8%
Russian
4.7%
Japanese
4.0%
Italian
3.9%
Arabic
3.3%
Hindi
3.3%
Portuguese
3.0%
Korean
2.9%
Cantonese
1.7%
Greek
1.2%
Carrier
1.2%
Urdu
1.1%
Hebrew
1.0%
Bengali
1.0%
Persian
0.8%
Vietnamese
0.8%

Research Fellow

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Research Fellow Typical Career Paths

Average Length of Employment

Research Scientist 3.8 years
Senior Research Associate 3.7 years
Graduate Research Associate 3.2 years
Graduate Research Fellow 3.2 years
Senior Research Assistant 3.0 years
Senior Research Fellow 2.9 years
Postdoctoral Research Scientist 2.8 years
Research Specialist 2.8 years
Postdoctoral Research Associate 2.7 years
Research Associate 2.6 years
Postdoctoral Associate 2.5 years
Post Doctoral Researcher 2.4 years
Doctoral Research Assistant 2.4 years
Post-Doctoral Scientist 2.2 years
Senior Research Investigator 2.2 years
Graduate Research Student 2.2 years
Research Fellow 2.0 years
Research Assistant Professor 1.9 years
Research Assistant 1.7 years
Fellow 1.7 years
Junior Research Fellow 1.7 years
Laboratory Research Assistant 1.6 years
Research Scholar 1.4 years
Student Research Assistant 1.2 years
Research Aide 1.2 years
Research Trainee 0.9 years
Summer Research Fellow 0.3 years

Research Fellow Education

Schools

Johns Hopkins University
8.1%
Harvard University
6.9%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
6.4%
University of Texas at Austin
5.9%
University of Florida
5.4%
University of Pittsburgh -
5.3%
Cornell University
5.2%
Boston University
5.0%
Duke University
4.9%
Pennsylvania State University
4.5%
University of Pennsylvania
4.4%
University of Iowa
4.4%
Purdue University
4.3%
Emory University
4.3%
University of Southern California
4.3%
Columbia University
4.3%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
4.2%
Vanderbilt University
4.1%
Boston College
4.1%
Northwestern University
4.0%

Majors

Chemistry 15.5%
Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology 14.1%
Biology 8.2%
Microbiology 6.0%
Physics 4.7%
Physiology And Anatomy 4.6%
Medicine 4.0%
Cell Biology And Anatomical Science 3.8%
Biomedical Engineering 3.8%
Mechanical Engineering 3.6%
Clinical Psychology 3.5%
Chemical Engineering 3.5%
Pharmacy 3.4%
Pharmacology 3.4%
Neuroscience 3.4%
Business 3.0%
Psychology 3.0%
Genetics 2.9%
Public Health 2.8%
Law 2.7%

Degrees

Doctorate
59.4%
Masters
19.0%
Bachelors
11.4%
Other
8.3%
Certificate
1.4%
Associate
0.3%
Diploma
0.2%
License
0.0%

Research Fellow

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Real Research Fellow Salaries

Job Title	Company	Location	Start Date	Salary
Research Fellow, Economic Policy	American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research	Washington, DC	May 24, 2016	$165,000
Research Fellow, Economic Policy	American Enterprise Insitutue for Public Policy Research	Washington, DC	Jun 07, 2016	$140,000
Research Fellow	Public Policy Institute of California	San Francisco, CA	Jan 01, 2016	$120,016
Research Fellow	Actavis Laboratories Fl, Inc.	Weston, FL	Apr 19, 2016	$111,176 - $157,913
Postd Research Fellow/LEO Intermittent Lecturer	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	Jan 09, 2016	$107,500
Cardiovascular Research Fellow	Spectrum Health Hospitals	Grand Rapids, MI	Jul 01, 2015	$100,000
Research Fellow	5Blades Inc.	New York, NY	Aug 10, 2015	$100,000
Research Fellow	Guggenheim Insurance Services, LLC	New York, NY	Feb 23, 2015	$99,425 - $385,260
Research Fellow	National Institutes of Health, HHS	Bethesda, MD	Jun 14, 2015	$97,218
Research Fellow	Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, Inc.	Washington, DC	Apr 01, 2015	$95,000
Research Fellow	National Institutes of Health, HHS	Bethesda, MD	Dec 27, 2016	$95,000
Research Fellow	The Clay Mathematics Institute, Inc.	Providence, RI	Feb 01, 2015	$94,494 - $100,000
Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center	New York, NY	Jan 09, 2016	$54,972
Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, MD	Nov 22, 2016	$54,886
LEO Lecturer I/Research Fellow	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	Jan 09, 2016	$54,641
Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center	New York, NY	Nov 15, 2016	$54,636
Research Fellow	National Institutes of Health, HHS	Bethesda, MD	May 01, 2015	$54,606
Research Fellow	Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center	New York, NY	Apr 01, 2015	$54,600
Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center	New York, NY	Jan 03, 2016	$54,600
Postdoctoral Research Fellow	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	Jan 12, 2016	$48,216
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow	Baylor Research Institute	Dallas, TX	Jan 03, 2016	$48,214
Research Fellow	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Boston, MA	Sep 01, 2015	$48,214
Research Fellow	Brigham and Women's Hospital	Boston, MA	Sep 01, 2015	$48,212
Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center	Seattle, WA	Jan 12, 2016	$48,205
Research Fellow	Joslin Diabetes Center	Boston, MA	Jan 02, 2016	$48,194
Research Fellow	Harvard University	Boston, MA	Jul 15, 2016	$48,192

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Top Skills for A Research Fellow

Top Research Fellow Skills

Cell Culture
Protein Expression
Laboratory

You can check out examples of real life uses of top skills on resumes here:

Conducted a full range of experiments focused on cell culture systems and developed novel adult neuron cultures from rodents.
Trained senior-level project scientists in basic bioinformatics and protein expression.
Presented writing reports monthly and delivered oral presentations to departmental seminars and laboratory meetings.
Investigated solutions using custom MATLAB scripts and analytically compared results to finite element analysis simulations.
Developed and completed independent research projects.