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What is a senior research assistant and how to become one
To be a senior research assistant, be prepared to lead the formulation, optimization, and development of designs, new programs, and prototypes for your company. You will participate in research formulating and writing for journals and with other staff. Your job will be to assess new technologies and future applications of those technologies.
A senior research assistant proposes, plans, and manages research projects, prepares reports, and presents findings. Being a senior research assistant is a great way to learn research techniques and get in-field experience. You will find employment in any given research field if you have the mindset to research.
To become a senior research assistant, you will need to complete a master's degree in your chosen field of study. You will need good teaching skills, writing skills for papers and grants. You will need to have advanced mathematics courses and take public speaking classes to present research findings. With all this education and training behind you, you will be able to make about $225,000 to $412,000 annually.
What general advice would you give to a senior research assistant?
Ben Brown
Professor, Ohio State University
Avg. Salary $50,643
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 19%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.03%
Asian 16.70%
Black or African American 8.56%
Hispanic or Latino 15.26%
Unknown 6.02%
White 52.43%
Genderfemale 58.69%
male 41.31%
Age - 35American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 35Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is excellent
6.4 - fair
Senior research assistant career paths
Key steps to become a senior research assistant
Explore senior research assistant education requirements
Start to develop specific senior research assistant skills
Skills Percentages Patients 7.97% Research Projects 6.31% Data Collection 4.96% Cell Culture 4.31% Laboratory Equipment 4.26% Complete relevant senior research assistant training and internships
Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior research assistants 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 senior research assistant based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior research assistant resumes.Research senior research assistant duties and responsibilities
- Manage all aspects of HPLC method development and analysis through interpretation of data ensuring accuracy of results.
- Facilitate the preparation of IACUC and IBC protocols, amendments and renewals.
- Train all undergraduates and graduates in proper lab technique, including DNA extraction and PCR.
- Maintain high quality research environment, ensuring compliance of all AALAC, IACUC and USDA standards.
Get senior research assistant experience
Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior research assistant. The most common roles before becoming a senior research assistant include research assistant, internship team lead and teaching assistant.Prepare your senior research assistant resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior research assistant 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 senior research assistant resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable senior research assistant resume templates
Build a professional senior research assistant resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior research assistant resume.
Apply for senior research assistant jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a senior research assistant job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How did you land your first senior research assistant job
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Average senior research assistant salary
The average senior research assistant salary in the United States is $50,643 per year or $24 per hour. Senior research assistant salaries range between $33,000 and $76,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do senior research assistants rate their job?
Senior research assistant reviews
Exploring more about reseaching field by building knowledge in a certain subject of research and growing the wisdom and knowledge.
The struggle of not breaking a certain research topic.
It's all about getting data, follow up on project, ensuring that jobs are done properly, write reports after a project is done. You travel if the job or project you're handling is out station.
Nothing really, it's just that sometimes getting data can be very difficult
I like to explore more in community health related field and benefit the future generations from avoidable diseases and help them with information related to health aspects.
None
Updated January 8, 2025
