Become A Research Scholar

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Working As A Research Scholar

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

Mostly Sitting
$65,275
Average Salary

Example Of What A Research Scholar does

Validated candidate genes using qRT-PCR.
Created posters for science symposiums.
Honed self-learning and research skills by completing MOOCs on public policy and Python programming.
Developed a silver staining procedure for identifying SNP differences in crow DNA samples.
Presented research at National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).
Result published in ACS Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Developed Python scripts to reduce, interpret and visualize the per atom moment data output from the analysis software.
-Performed undergraduate research on health determinants using digital technology in collaboration of Dr. Helaine Alessio, FACSM.
Presented results of research to advisor's research group.
Researched in synthesis of water soluble Quantum Dots for biomedical imaging.
Facilitated research into toxic heavy metal uptake into the edible portions of staple crops.
Designed statistical analysis of experiments.
Research Paper: "Why Do Countries Develop Different Health Care Systems.
Research Project title: Extending the time-series of satellite based lightning observations.
Conducted research and data analysis concerning AID in San Francisco.
Conducted literature review, discussed data analysis; wrote and presented a group report.
Reduced lab costs by pioneering change to a single general enzyme to replace three specific enzymes.
Lead the Research and Scholarship Program at the Boston Campus that promotes faculty scholarship.
Worked in the Center for Molecular Biology running lab protocols on the Xq28 project.
Published in Journal of Neuroscience (Tier 1 journal)

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How To Become A Research Scholar

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 Scholar jobs

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Research Scholar Career Paths

Research Scholar

Senior Scientist Associate Director Program Director

Administrative Director

8 Yearsyrs

Senior Scientist Adjunct Faculty Chairperson

Advisory Board Member

6 Yearsyrs

Research Scientist Assistant Professor Chairperson

Board Member

6 Yearsyrs

Instructor Program Manager Deputy Program Manager

Branch Chief

9 Yearsyrs

Professor Senior Research Fellow Senior Scientist

Chief Scientist

12 Yearsyrs

Lecturer Research Associate Data Analyst

Data Manager

6 Yearsyrs

Associate Professor Postdoctoral Research Associate Application Scientist

Field Applications Scientist

10 Yearsyrs

Fellow Postdoctoral Research Associate Research Associate

Laboratory Manager

5 Yearsyrs

Professor Pharmacist Medical Science Liaison

Medical Manager

6 Yearsyrs

Scientist Project Manager Vice President

Principal

11 Yearsyrs

Research Technician Research Scientist Senior Scientist

Principal Research Scientist

10 Yearsyrs

Research Fellow Senior Scientist

Principal Scientist

12 Yearsyrs

Research Scientist Project Manager Senior Project Manager

Project Director

8 Yearsyrs

Research Technician Research Specialist Research Analyst

Research Director

7 Yearsyrs

Graduate Researcher Fellow Research Associate

Research Laboratory Manager

5 Yearsyrs

Lecturer Fellow Research Associate

Research Manager

6 Yearsyrs

Graduate Researcher Instructor Lecturer

Senior Lecturer

7 Yearsyrs

Scientist Senior Scientist

Senior Principal Scientist

12 Yearsyrs

Fellow Research Associate

Senior Research Associate

6 Yearsyrs

Research Fellow Research Scientist

Senior Scientist

9 Yearsyrs

Average Length of Employment

Graduate Research Fellow 3.2 years
Graduate Research Associate 3.2 years
Senior Research Fellow 2.9 years
Research Specialist 2.8 years
Graduate Researcher 2.8 years
Postdoctoral Research Scientist 2.8 years
Postdoctoral Research Associate 2.7 years
Graduate Student Assistant 2.6 years
Post Doctoral Researcher 2.4 years
Postdoctoral Research Assistant 2.4 years
Doctoral Research Assistant 2.4 years
Postdoctoral Scholar 2.3 years
Research Fellow 2.3 years
Junior Research Scientist 2.2 years
Senior Research Investigator 2.2 years
Research Leader 2.1 years
Research Assistant Professor 1.9 years
Research Assistant 1.7 years
Junior Research Fellow 1.7 years
Researcher 1.5 years
Program Research Specialist 1.3 years
Student Research Assistant 1.2 years
Research Scholar 1.0 years
Research Trainee 0.9 years
Research Volunteer 0.9 years
Research Internship 0.5 years
Summer Research Fellow 0.3 years

Top Careers Before Research Scholar

Top Careers After Research Scholar

Research Scholar Demographics

Gender

Male
47.3%
Female
42.3%
Unknown
10.4%

Ethnicity

White
56.2%
Asian
28.0%
Hispanic or Latino
9.5%
Unknown
5.4%
Black or African American
0.9%

Languages Spoken

Spanish
26.7%
French
11.2%
Chinese
10.6%
Mandarin
9.3%
German
8.7%
Japanese
5.6%
Hindi
3.7%
Russian
3.7%
Korean
3.1%
Cantonese
3.1%
Portuguese
2.5%
Italian
1.9%
Vietnamese
1.2%
Marathi
1.2%
Ukrainian
1.2%
Turkish
1.2%
Catalan
1.2%
Bengali
1.2%
Romanian
1.2%
Urdu
1.2%

Research Scholar

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Research Scholar Education

Schools

Pennsylvania State University
8.3%
University of Iowa
7.7%
Lafayette College
6.4%
George Mason University
6.4%
University of Delaware
5.8%
University of Florida
5.1%
University of Pennsylvania
5.1%
Lehigh University
5.1%
Carnegie Mellon University
5.1%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
5.1%
Drexel University
4.5%
Oklahoma State University
4.5%
North Carolina State University
3.8%
Emory University
3.8%
Oregon State University
3.8%
University of California - Los Angeles
3.8%
State University of New York Buffalo
3.8%
Case Western Reserve University
3.8%
University of Missouri - Columbia
3.8%
Johns Hopkins University
3.8%

Majors

Biology 10.4%
Chemistry 9.8%
Mechanical Engineering 8.1%
Electrical Engineering 7.7%
Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology 7.5%
Chemical Engineering 5.8%
Physics 5.5%
Psychology 5.1%
Computer Science 4.9%
Microbiology 4.5%
Biomedical Engineering 4.3%
Materials Science And Engineering 3.4%
Pharmacy 3.2%
Environmental Science 3.0%
Statistics 3.0%
Political Science 3.0%
Public Health 2.8%
Civil Engineering 2.8%
Computer Engineering 2.8%
Physiology And Anatomy 2.6%

Degrees

Doctorate
38.8%
Bachelors
26.4%
Masters
26.0%
Other
6.0%
Certificate
2.3%
Associate
0.4%

Research Scholar

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Real Research Scholar Salaries

Job Title	Company	Location	Start Date	Salary
Social Science Research Scholar	The Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford, Jr. University	Stanford, CA	Nov 14, 2016	$200,000
SR. Research Scholar	Carnegie Endowment for International Peace	Washington, DC	Aug 01, 2015	$162,850
SR. Research Scholar	Carnegie Endowment for International Peace	Washington, DC	Aug 02, 2015	$162,850
Senior Research Scholar	The Trustees of Princeton University	Princeton, NJ	Jan 07, 2016	$153,500
Research Scholar	Columbia University	New York, NY	Jan 12, 2015	$145,000
Senior Research Scholar	Columbia University	New York, NY	May 01, 2015	$130,000
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	Columbia University	New York, NY	Jan 07, 2016	$125,000
Senior Research Scholar	Columbia University	New York, NY	Jan 08, 2016	$124,000
Senior Research Scholar	Columbia University	New York, NY	Jan 08, 2016	$120,750
Visiting Research Scholar	The Trustees of Princeton University	Princeton, NJ	Jan 09, 2016	$120,000
Research Scholar	The Trustees of Princeton University	Princeton, NJ	Jan 09, 2016	$115,000
Research Scholar	San Diego Public Library Foundation	San Diego, CA	Aug 07, 2016	$105,352
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	The University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	Jan 10, 2016	$58,580
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	The University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	Nov 26, 2015	$58,580
Research Scholar	Bard College	New York, NY	Sep 08, 2015	$58,034
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	Vanderbilt University	Nashville, TN	Jan 09, 2016	$58,000
Research Scholar	National Institute of Aerospace Associates	Hampton, VA	Jan 08, 2016	$58,000
Research Scholar	North Carolina State University	Raleigh, NC	Jan 01, 2016	$57,886
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	The University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	Jul 01, 2016	$57,504
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	Vanderbilt University	Nashville, TN	Jul 01, 2015	$51,000
Associate Research Scholar	The Trustees of Princeton University	Princeton, NJ	Sep 01, 2015	$50,800
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	The University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	Feb 17, 2015	$50,500
Senior Research Scholar	North Carolina State University	Raleigh, NC	May 01, 2015	$50,482
Postdoctoral Research Scholar	The University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	Jan 01, 2016	$50,112
Research Scholar	Duke University and Medical Center	Durham, NC	Jan 09, 2016	$50,112
Postdoctoral Research Scholar (Post DOC)	The University of Iowa	Iowa City, IA	Sep 01, 2015	$50,112
Research Scholar	Eastern Virginia Medical School	Norfolk, VA	Aug 31, 2015	$50,112

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Top Skills for A Research Scholar

Top Research Scholar Skills

Lab
Research Project
Undergraduate Research

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

Oriented new researches to the lab, while acting as part of a team whose members came from four countries.
Research Project title: Extending the time-series of satellite based lightning observations.
Trained undergraduate research assistants to follow study protocol.
Created and maintained active leukemia cell cultures to be used in analytical tests.
Selected from >1,000 applicants to receive one of 8 Stokes Scholarships: full undergraduate tuition and stipend.