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 is a Research Investigator?
What Does a Research Investigator Do
There are certain skills that many research investigators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed observation skills, communication skills and leadership skills.
How To Become a Research Investigator
If you're interested in becoming a research investigator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 53.7% of research investigators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 17.3% of research investigators have master's degrees. Even though most research investigators have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Research Investigator Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of senior scientist you might progress to a role such as research and development manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title research and development director.
Average Salary for a Research Investigator
What Am I Worth?
Top Colleges for Research Investigators
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
3. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
5. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
10. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Top Skills For a Research Investigator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.3% of research investigators listed data analysis on their resume, but soft skills such as observation skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Research Investigator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Research Investigator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Research Investigator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Research Investigator Demographics
Research Investigator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among research investigators, 47.4% of them are women, while 52.6% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among research investigators is White, which makes up 56.4% of all research investigators.
- The most common foreign language among research investigators is Spanish at 47.2%.
Online Courses For Research Investigator That You May Like
The Essentials of Clinical Trials - Clinical Research for Beginners...
The University of California San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Drug Development course brings you lectures from both faculty and industry experts. With this course, recorded on campus at UCSD, we seek to share our access to top people in the field who bring an unprecedented range of expertise on drug development. In this course you will learn the different stages of clinical development as well as the regulatory including but not limited to, an Investigational New...
An Introduction to Good Clinical Practice ICH GCP E6 (R2) for Investigators & Clinical Research Staff...
Best States For a Research Investigator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a research investigator. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, Alaska, California, and Connecticut. Research investigators make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $155,676. Whereas in Alaska and California, they would average $136,308 and $135,243, respectively. While research investigators would only make an average of $133,560 in Connecticut, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. California
$135,243
Avg. Salary
2. New Jersey
$133,416
Avg. Salary
3. Connecticut
$133,560
Avg. Salary
How Do Research Investigator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Research Investigator Employers
Most Common Employers For Research Investigator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citi | $128,889 | $61.97 | 9 |
| 2 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $116,576 | $56.05 | 279 |
| 3 | Novartis | $115,900 | $55.72 | 30 |
| 4 | Incyte | $111,958 | $53.83 | 34 |
| 5 | Sanofi US | $103,327 | $49.68 | 91 |
| 6 | Abbott | $102,102 | $49.09 | 24 |
| 7 | Eisai | $97,561 | $46.90 | 8 |
| 8 | Fiserv | $91,650 | $44.06 | 6 |
| 9 | Pfizer | $86,112 | $41.40 | 9 |
| 10 | DuPont | $84,208 | $40.48 | 59 |
Research Investigator Videos
