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Job outlook for research professors in the United States
Are research professor jobs in demand?
Research professor job and salary trends over time
Research professor jobs over time
Research professor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,239 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 3,534 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 3,631 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 3,526 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 3,382 | 0.00% |
Average research professor salary over time
Research professor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $119,503 | $57.45 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $115,951 | $55.75 | +4.7% |
| 2024 | $110,754 | $53.25 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $107,202 | $51.54 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $105,164 | $50.56 | --2.1% |
Research professor jobs by state
Most common states for research professors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 193 | 28% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 140 | 22% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,414 | 21% |
| 4 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 741 | 18% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 964 | 17% |
| 6 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 297 | 15% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 156 | 15% |
| 8 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 808 | 14% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 184 | 14% |
| 10 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 125 | 14% |
| 11 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,150 | 13% |
| 12 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,137 | 13% |
| 13 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 398 | 13% |
| 14 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 210 | 12% |
| 15 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 122 | 12% |
| 16 | Delaware | 961,939 | 115 | 12% |
| 17 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,414 | 11% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,425 | 11% |
| 19 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 818 | 11% |
| 20 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 150 | 11% |
Most common cities for research professors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Lansing | 1 | 2% | $140,340 |
| 2 | Miami | 4 | 1% | $120,360 |
Research Professor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of research professor experts
Pepperdine University
University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of San Diego
Northwestern University
New Mexico State University
North Carolina State University
Washington State University
Purdue University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Nebraska - Omaha
Skidmore College
Albion College
Ohio State University
Western Washington University
What general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Alex Holte PhD: My advice for someone new to the field of academia is to learn time management skills early and learn what type of service work you find interesting and would like to contribute to. From there, learn how to say “no” to opportunities that may not align with your goals as well. I feel a lot of new professors tend to find the need to be involved in everything, which can result in burning out later in their career.
What Research Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alex Holte PhD: I would say being able to work with AI may be something that is more important in the next 3-5 years. Right now it’s a new technology and people are just now learning how to integrate it in the workplace, but I feel it is possible the future workforce of tomorrow will necessitate some form of being able to use AI technology.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Alex Holte PhD: When you are starting out at any career, it is important to negotiate your salary. Many candidates feel that they have to accept their first offer, but in reality, at many jobs, there is some room for negotiation. Be mindful however, to not request a salary that is much higher than what is being offered as they may feel like a compromise would not be possible and move on to the next candidate.
What general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Rachel Tan Ph.D.: I do not have an answer for this. My response would be to be proactive during undergraduate studies, to discern where you find joy and curiosity. Pursue that topic. I do not think that the salary should be the priority when considering careers.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Qing Li: Follow your heart and do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do. Research direction is as important as scientific questions if it is not more important.
What general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Nicole Danos PhD: Include your non-lab based skills in your resume!
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Nicole Danos PhD: In addition to many sought after hard skills that our Biology program graduate have been trained in (cell and microbial culture, DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, antibody staining, data analysis and biostatistics), graduates should remember to leverage the other scientific skills they learned. This includes things like researching and summarizing the state of knowledge in a field, distilling relevant information for peers and supervisors, presenting experimental designs and results and all around thinking about problems from start to finish. All of our graduates should be able to leverage these soft science skills, since they all had to do an independent research project.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Nathaniel Stern: Within academic physics, your potential can be maximized by doing impactful work in graduate school that matters to other people. The next step is to communicate this impact broadly, and then figure out how to take the next step in the field. That is a lot of steps, but if one can successfully do those things in graduate school, they can build the profile, community, and intellectual leadership to demand the highest salary. Outside of academic physics, the requirements are probably not that different, but I do not have explicit knowledge of them myself. So I would fall back on the standard goals of innovation and communication, which should help one succeed in any knowledge-related career.
What general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Dr. Michael Marchetti: I think it is hard to know how to maximize one's salary potential at the outset, other than being a good team player and having the skills and personality to 'fill in' and pivot as needed by an employer. With scientists, the interest in the scientific questions/problems/goals often times drive the practitioners in the discipline rather than a huge 'paycheck touchdown' type approach.
What Research Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Michael Marchetti: My general advice to graduating biology majors would be to get actual hands-on experience in whatever field/sub-discipline you decide you want to specialize in. This could take various forms depending on your circumstances, for example: an internship (even short term), a job in a field that is similar or adjacent to the field you are interested in, pursue a master's degree in the field, or even volunteer in some capacity while you get a job to pay the bills, etc. It seems that in today's professional science environment that having some experience in the thing you want to do helps a lot to get your foot in the door.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Michael Marchetti: I think that in the next few years, it will be important to have some wide range of skills across a diversity of sub-disciplines. For example, GIS (geographic information skills), R statistical programming language, modern genetic and genomic techniques, computer programming skills etc. Again, it seems that hard and fast borders/walls separating disciplinary fields are breaking down as our knowledge of the larger biological world expands.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Meghan McGee-Lawrence Ph.D.: Cast a wide net! A huge variety of career paths can be pursued with a degree like this, including industry, academic research, healthcare, education, and more. It is a very versatile degree, and can be a foundation for a multitude of different professions. Talk to recent graduates from your program (as many as possible!) and see what they did with their degree – the more information you can collect, the better prepared you’ll be to seek out opportunities yourself. Take the time to figure out where your interests lie – and understand that you may have to try a few different paths out before you find the right one for you. The first position you land after graduation doesn’t have to be the job you perform for the next 30 years of your life – so use each opportunity as a learning experience to figure out what you’d really like to do long-term.
What general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Michael Marks: A few things: First, feel free to say "no" to things. As a new faculty member, more senior faculty may think they are being helpful by suggesting you take service duties, committee work, etc. But take your first year or two to get established. If you feel too many "opportunities" are coming your way, a good response might be "That sounds great, maybe that can be something I take on once I get my lab established." Second, advertise yourself. Build a website with your own domain, off of your employer's servers. This is a great way to attract graduate advisees and lab members, post your publications and data, and make yourself available to people interested in your research. I say get your own domain because employers will often change things with hosting, which can cause access issues. Finally, even if you don't post, follow some social media accounts of prominent figures in the field to keep abreast of developments, debates, and current issues.
Luz Garcini PhD, MPH
Assistant ProfessorWhat will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Luz Garcini PhD, MPH: Build a unique niche and new skills (another language), disseminate your work via high impact networks/avenues, get mentoring in negotiation.
What general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Justin Whitehill Ph.D.: Perseverance pays off. Its worth it to pursue the career you want and not settle and be unhappy.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Justin Whitehill Ph.D.: I wouldn’t know, I’m a professor.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Jason Ferrell: While technology is changing at a rapid pace and artificial intelligence will no doubt play an ever increasing role in life and science, I believe the foundations of success will not change. These include, 1. Being responsive and timely. 2. Possessing excellent written and oral communication skills. 3. Being a helpful team member. Regardless of skill set or expertise, these are three pillars of success.
Jane Kuandre
Associate ProfessorWhat general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Jane Kuandre: My advice for someone looking to pursue a career in academia would be to focus on building a strong publication record, developing a network of collaborators, and continuously seeking opportunities for professional development.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Jane Kuandre: Networking is crucial for career advancement in academia as it allows individuals to establish collaborations, gain access to resources, and stay updated on the latest research trends.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Lindsey du Toit: Take every opportunity you can to learn, network, and build an effective team of people that bring a greater breadth and depth of skills and expertise to the work on which you will be focusing. Cultivate a life-long sense of intellectual curiosity and learning. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Treat ignorance as an opportunity to learn. Questions demonstrate you want to understand the situation/problem effectively and that you are paying attention. Always demonstrate integrity in your work. It is one of the most valuable traits you can bring to your career. Be kind and supportive of your colleagues.
Yan Cong
Purdue University
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What Research Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Yan Cong: AI singularity, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), et cetera are topics that trigger a lot of debate nowadays and they will be prevalent in the near future. Perspectives from humanities and linguistics would contribute to the ongoing debate and provide new opportunities for future innovative technologies that are linked to languages, linguistics and humanities.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Yan Cong: Develop some in-demand skills such as programming or generating content from text models via prompt engineering, et cetera. Get experience and extra income via paid summer internships.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Arjumand Ghazi Ph. D: Having an advanced degree such as a PhD and even a few years postdoc is a good way to start at a higher level. It often allows one to make up for the reduced earnings during the training periods while increasing long-term earnings.
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.
InstructorUniversity of Nebraska - Omaha
Neurobiology And Neurosciences
What Research Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Andrew Riquier Ph.D.: Necessary skills obviously vary from position to position and across time. Therefore, I think the ability to learn new skills as the need arises is of the utmost importance. But if I had to name something more specific, it would likely be computer skills and various data analytic skills. As AI gets further integrated into the field, understanding how to make use of it is becoming increasingly more important. Additionally, being able to analyze patterns of results across multiple fields will likely yield fruitful avenues of research.
Aurelie Matheron
Assistant Professor of FrenchSkidmore College
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What Research Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Aurelie Matheron: Leadership: you will be in positions of leading a program/department. Learn from current chairs by observing their own skills during meetings and moments of decision. Collaboration: develop interpersonal and interprofessional relationships that will allow you to build collaborative projects (interdepartmental courses, for instance).
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Aurelie Matheron: Do some research online about how much someone earns at your stage of the career. If there is a significant gap, point out (diplomatically) that, because of your extensive experience in XYZ, you would like to get a X% increase in your salary. Be reasonable: if you want a 3% increase, ask for 5% (not 10% or more). Justify your negotiation: why should they pay me more? What experience can I show them to justify my request? If you have a higher offer from another place, you can say that “I have received another generous offer and would like to know about the possibility for matching that offer.” Salary is not the only thing you can negotiate: office space, computer/laptop, sabbaticals, course release, etc. Again, be reasonable: if you think you are entitled to XYZ requests, you also have to show why.
What Research Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Andrea Francis: Overall, students who get a degree in a social science field, such as psychology, anthropology, sociology, or political science become experts at understanding motivation in different contexts. At Albion, we want our social science graduates to be well-versed in data interpretation as well as written and oral presentation skills, all of which are critical skills that employers want to see from new college graduates. The combination of understanding how to evaluate data as well as a understanding both individual motives and the systems in which individuals make those decisions makes students with social science degrees uniquely qualified to work on and solve problems in any domain that involves individuals and social systems. For example, some students in psychology go on to obtain social work masters degrees while others go on to analyze large datasets for educational or business groups. Thus, depending on the nature of the system, a social scientist may be asked to work with clients, students, or constituents on an individual basis, collect or analyze data, conduct program evaluations, or even create new marketing strategies.
Dr. Judson Jeffries
ProfessorOhio State University
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, And Group Studies
What general advice would you give to a Research Professor?
Dr. Judson Jeffries: Introduce yourself to some of the more noteworthy people in the field at conferences. Establish a relationship with those folks. I am not saying that your circle should include only the most celebrated academics in your field, but you want to get to know maybe 3 to 4 such persons for the following reasons: 1) to position oneself to get sage, counsel and advice from seasoned academics 2) to learn about various opportunities that may not be publicly advertised and 3) at some point the person 's department will need people to evaluate that person for tenure and promotion. Some departments will ask the junior professor for a list of names. At that point the junior professor will be equipped to provide that list. Finally, go into those fields understanding that you have a responsibility to advocate on behalf of those historically marginalized groups that you're studying. What's more, that person needs to understand that what comes with that is doing research that addresses some of the challenges those groups face.
What Research Professor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Judson Jeffries: Easy, have a vita that clearly shows strong credentials such as publications and the like, which will help said person get multiple interviews, which may lead to multiple offers. Once that person gets multiple offers, that person cannot be shy about negotiating. Everything is negotiable.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Dr. Judson Jeffries: Grant writing ability. Scholars will become increasingly reliant on securing grants as universities and colleges continue to tighten their belts. This is especially true for state schools where some state legislatures are not as generous with funding as they once were. The state supported The Ohio State University is one such example. There are many more.
What will help Research Professors increase their earning potential?
Josh Kaplan Ph.D.: Be reliable, consistent, and focus on the details. Your neuroscience training required you to develop an attention to detail that permeated many aspects of your work. Further, you had to apply that detailed approach in a consistent manner across a potentially long experimental duration. Your future coworkers and employers will appreciate knowing that you'll be able to apply the instructions for a novel scenario reliably and consistently.