What does a research internship do?
A research intern is responsible for assisting the research team with conducting an investigation, compiling information, and analyzing results for an organized research study. Research interns' duties also include understanding the work processes and operation procedures, sharing strategies and recommendations on research methods, reaching out to appropriate research correspondents, managing clients' inquiries and concerns, keeping important client records for reference, studying current market trends, and maintaining the eagerness to learn. A research intern must have strong attention to detail and excellent communication skills to perform on daily research tasks.
Research internship responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real research internship resumes:
- Manage grant base research and submit the grant proposal to ICAR and get approved for fund research.
- Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
- Perform organic extractions of DNA from various sources and set up PCR reactions.
- Assist with study design, protocol review, IRB submission and data collection technique.
- Uncover potential biomarkers of BCR-ABL drug resistance.
- Learned to retrieve information from databases specific to NIH.
- Apply concepts of cGMP following FDA guidelines for pharmaceuticals.
- Perform CFD analysis in Matlab for Taylor-Couette flow problems.
- Wet chemistry techniques including reaction set-up, purification, and analysis of products ;.
- Conduct research on art and science education and interactive technology, run user serveys.
- Perform diagnostic molecular pathology utilizing PCR for bcl-2, tuberculosis, and other diseases.
- Perform molecular cloning via RT-PCR, PCR, restriction enzyme digests, ligation, and cell transformation.
- Design test structures and utilize a wide variety of test and measurement equipment for testing and parameter extraction.
- Develop a log in system for existing government fund map relate research website using bootstrap, python and PostgreSQL database.
- Develop method and testing procedure for the implementation of RT-PCR for the company's entire insect control gene screening program.
Research internship skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Research Interns are proficient in Python, C++, and Research Intern. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Research Interns that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Python, 13%
Developed software for simulating experiments and classifying Radio Map data for indoor localization using Python and Java.
- C++, 8%
Developed several applications in C++ and Delphi implementing numerical methods for solving partial differential equations describing processes in Thermodynamics.
- Research Intern, 8%
Research Internship Provided corporate real estate market analysis & commercial real estate research services for this premier professional non-profit association.
- Java, 7%
Developed algorithms to partition large networks into sub-networks and communities in Java.
- Data Collection, 5%
Performed data collection, data entry, maintenance of lab protocols including documenting activities while maintaining data integrity and security.
- Data Analysis, 5%
Performed literature reviews, data entry/analysis, qualitative interview transcription, participant screening, and secondary data analysis for honors thesis.
Most research interns use their skills in "python," "c++," and "research intern" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential research internship responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a research internship to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what research interns do because "market research analysts must evaluate large amounts of data and information related to market conditions." Additionally, a research internship resume shows how research interns use analytical skills: "designed and programmed big-data cluster-computing algorithms in java to mine network data for indicators of security breaches. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling research internship duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "market research analysts must pay attention to minutiae to evaluate data." According to a research internship resume, here's how research interns can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "prepared an irb document detailing blood sample collection, preparation, storage and dna extraction for genotyping. "
Communication skills. This is an important skill for research interns to perform their duties. For an example of how research internship responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "market research analysts must be able to clearly convey information when gathering material, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a research internship: "research included feature selection, regression model selection, and cross validation (all applied to medical communication data). ".
The three companies that hire the most research internships are:
- Microsoft241 research interns jobs
- Meta82 research interns jobs
- Google60 research interns jobs
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Compare different research interns
Research internship vs. Assistant research scientist
An Assistant Research Scientist assists in planning, conducting, and analyzing various research projects. They also order and manage lab inventory, materials, and equipment.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, research internship responsibilities require skills like "research intern," "java," "facebook," and "tensorflow." Meanwhile a typical assistant research scientist has skills in areas such as "research projects," "lab equipment," "chemistry," and "laboratory equipment." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Assistant research scientists tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $71,080. In contrast, research interns make the biggest average salary, $52,879, in the technology industry.On average, assistant research scientists reach similar levels of education than research interns. Assistant research scientists are 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 12.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Research internship vs. Marketing department internship
A marketing department internship is a marketing degree program requirement in most colleges. This is the work experience period where interns get to apply the knowledge they acquire in the real world. In this period, marketing interns provide administrative support to the marketing department of the company. The duties may include data entry, preparation of marketing materials, and managing the company's website. Also, interns are tasked to research and collect data, then analyze findings with an experienced marketing representative's supervision.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real research internship resumes. While research internship responsibilities can utilize skills like "python," "c++," "research intern," and "java," marketing department interns use skills like "financial statements," "press releases," "athletic events," and "adobe photoshop."
Marketing department interns earn similar levels of education than research interns in general. They're 3.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 12.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for research internships in the next 3-5 years?
Friedbert Ninow Ph.D.
Dean, La Sierra University
- All kinds of digital stuff
- Technology that allows us to have alternatives to the screen; screen technology lets us shrink to two-dimensional beings.
Research internship vs. Marketing specialist internship
A marketing specialist internship involves a trainee who wants to gain working experience in marketing by helping companies develop marketing programs and strategies. Marketing specialist interns collaborate with marketing professionals in researching target markets and analyze trends to identify new marketing opportunities. They assist in developing marketing materials to ensure that brand guidelines are being achieved. Marketing specialist interns are also required to help professionals in writing, proof-reading, and editing technical and creative content across different mediums.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from research internship resumes include skills like "python," "c++," "research intern," and "java," whereas a marketing specialist internship is more likely to list skills in "customer service," "community resources," "intake assessments," and "mental health. "
Marketing specialist interns earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $39,914. Comparatively, research interns have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $52,879.Most marketing specialist interns achieve a lower degree level compared to research interns. For example, they're 6.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Research internship vs. Data analyst internship
A data analyst internship involves a trainee who wants to gain working experience in the field of information technology (IT) by assisting data analyst professionals. Data analyst interns should examine information using data analysis tools so that they can help their employers make important decisions by identifying various facts and trends. They write reports and present them to the management to provide new insights about new trends and areas for improvement. Data analyst interns can find work in areas such as banks, specialist software development companies, and consultancies.
Types of research internship
Updated January 8, 2025
