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What is a senior research fellow and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Betsy Smith,
Daniel Patten Ph.D.
introduction image

The senior research fellow is a respected expert researcher hired in academic establishments or institutions. The form of your employment in the institution is associated with your research job or area of interest. You will be tasked with receiving finances for research and observing the improvements of new and upcoming research students. Also, you are expected to be present at both national and worldwide conferences and cooperate with teachers in the industry. Moreso, you will need to guide a crew of researchers on a project that creates the necessity for more members. The senior research fellow must lead the evaluation of the information or data collected and efficiently participate in the research industry development.

To become a senior research fellow, you need to have either a bachelor's degree or a master's degree. It is possible to become one with just a GED or high school degree. However, you also need to exhibit excellent observation, organization, communication, and leadership skills. As a senior research fellow, you will earn an average of $79,973 a year or $34.12 per hour.

What general advice would you give to a senior research fellow?

Dr. Betsy SmithDr. Betsy Smith LinkedIn profile

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.
ScoreSenior Research FellowUS Average
Salary
4.9

Avg. Salary $62,129

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
6.3

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.0
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.53%

Black or African American 6.21%

Hispanic or Latino 9.40%

Unknown 4.05%

White 53.67%

Gender

female 43.95%

male 56.05%

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

Senior research fellow career paths

Key steps to become a senior research fellow

  1. Explore senior research fellow education requirements

    Most common senior research fellow degrees

    Bachelor's

    51.7 %

    Master's

    25.2 %

    Doctorate

    17.5 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior research fellow skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Python12.24%
    Research Projects8.20%
    Data Analysis6.30%
    C++6.25%
    Research Findings5.01%
  3. Complete relevant senior research fellow training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior research fellows 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 fellow based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior research fellow resumes.
  4. Research senior research fellow duties and responsibilities

    • Lead a project aim at improving DNA yields from various soil types in Dr. Connell's lab.
    • Manage grant base research and submit the grant proposal to ICAR and get approved for fund research.
    • Mentore a graduate student on the following topics: study design, literature reviews, drafting data plans and SAS.
    • Contribute to the creation of new markup standards for scholarship in the humanities.
  5. Get senior research fellow experience

    Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a senior research fellow. The most common roles before becoming a senior research fellow include research assistant, research fellow team lead and internship.
  6. Prepare your senior research fellow resume

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

    Build a professional senior research fellow 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 fellow resume.
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  7. Apply for senior research fellow jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior research fellow job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior research fellow job

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Average senior research fellow salary

The average senior research fellow salary in the United States is $62,129 per year or $30 per hour. Senior research fellow salaries range between $40,000 and $95,000 per year.

Average senior research fellow salary
$62,129 Yearly
$29.87 hourly

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How do senior research fellows rate their job?

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Senior research fellow reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

Exploring more about reseaching field by building knowledge in a certain subject of research and growing the wisdom and knowledge.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

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.


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019
Pros

What I like is that,you get to interact with different people from various communities.Relationships are formed in the process

Cons

Language barrier can be a problem,because communication needs to be formed in the language that each community you interact with understands.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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