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

What is a research investigator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Betsy Smith,

Daniel Patten Ph.D.

The research investigator acts in a leadership role, overseeing and designing advanced experiments. They usually assist the principal investigator and play a leading role in developing a research program to advance a specific area of study. They play a crucial role in all aspects of research products, including development, implementation, and data analysis.

As a research investigator, your responsibilities will include performing analysis and documentation as per the procedure, reviewing and approving analytical data, and communicating with the client. You'll also be expected to adhere to all operating procedures, communicate with relevant departments, and ensure all measures are met and imparted to the team by training. Educational requirements include a Ph.D., a doctor of medicine (MD) degree, or equivalent doctoral degree along with five years or more work experience.

The position comes with a lot of responsibilities, but it also compensates generously. The average hourly salary for the position is $36.84, which equates to $76,626 annually. The career is expected to grow 8% in the near future.

What general advice would you give to a research investigator?

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 InvestigatorUS Average

Salary

6.2

Avg. Salary $79,438

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.31%

Black or African American 6.46%

Hispanic or Latino 9.71%

Unknown 4.13%

White 53.25%

Gender

female 47.40%

male 52.60%

Age - 39

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 - 39

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a research investigator

Explore research investigator education requirements

Most common research investigator degrees

Bachelor's

53.7 %

Doctorate

19.5 %

Master's

17.3 %

Start to develop specific research investigator skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	15.97%
Data Analysis	7.18%
Molecular Biology	3.94%
Immunology	3.90%
Drug Discovery	3.59%

Complete relevant research investigator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New research investigators 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 investigator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real research investigator resumes.

Research research investigator duties and responsibilities

Manage laboratory to produce and analyze DNA microarrays.
Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Validate and implement quantitative analytical methods for the determination of biomarkers in biological matrices.
Update GLCF website using HTML scripting.

Prepare your research investigator resume

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

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