What does a student research assistant do?
A student research assistant is responsible for supporting the school's research department on conducting various research tasks using the techniques and resources provided by the supervising faculty. Student research assistants collect and verify research data, interpret and document findings using research methodologies, organize and prepare research materials, write research reports, and provide recommendations to improve research strategies and techniques. A student research assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as the ability to multitask and be a fast-learner to interpret data within a specific time.
Student research assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real student research assistant resumes:
- Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
- Perform PCR amplification and electrophoresis.
- Prepare agarose gels for electrophoresis and sequencing.
- Perform biological experiments which provide data for further DNA analysis.
- Provide DNA sequencing and primer support study transposition in tobacco/tomato root development.
- Experience gain in polymer chemistry, polymer physics, material characterization, photo-polymerization techniques.
- Collect and enter voter registration data into SPSS and distribute registration information to the community.
- Assist professor in taking precise measurements and inputting data into complex equations involving algebraic math and chemistry.
- Assist post-doctoral professors in contributing to research project involving water conservation & environmental injustice into database using SPSS statistical software.
- Recruit pediatrician clinics nationally to participate in one or more in-office NIH grant-fund research projects involving electronic medical records research.
- Create computer graphic user interfaces that allow Parkinson's patients with deteriorating vocal abilities to strengthen their voices for rehabilitative application.
- Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Student research assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Student Research Assistants are proficient in Lab Equipment, Student Research, and Data Collection. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Student Research Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Lab Equipment, 10%
Conducted daily maintenance of lab equipment including ensuring radiation safety
- Student Research, 9%
Developed specialized, hands-on skills across mechanical and nuclear engineering; completed coursework while working as teacher assistant and student researcher.
- Data Collection, 8%
Learned aforementioned scientific research skills and helped the PI with data collection and analysis for publication in scientific studies
- Research Projects, 7%
Assisted assigned research mentor on several current research projects by performing data entry and creating power point presentations for upcoming conferences.
- Laboratory Equipment, 7%
Researched and specified laboratory equipment for acquisition including a spin processor and high voltage power supply.
- C++, 4%
Employed MATLAB, C and C++ programming languages to simulate optical turbulence and stochastic processes to analyze and mitigate its effect.
Most student research assistants use their skills in "lab equipment," "student research," and "data collection" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential student research assistant responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a student research assistant to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "market research analysts must evaluate large amounts of data and information related to market conditions." Additionally, a student research assistant resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "apply basic molecular biology techniques (pcr, elisa, southern blot analysis etc). "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling student research assistant duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "market research analysts must be able to clearly convey information when gathering material, interpreting data, and presenting results to clients." According to a student research assistant resume, here's how student research assistants can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "performed literature reviews pertaining to parent-child communication, sexuality, sexual health, and risk-taking behaviors. "
Detail oriented. student research assistants are also known for detail oriented, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to student research assistant responsibilities, because "market research analysts must pay attention to minutiae to evaluate data." A student research assistant resume example shows how detail oriented is used in the workplace: "analyzed experimental data while also maintaining a detailed lab notebook. "
The three companies that hire the most student research assistants are:
- Google21 student research assistants jobs
- University of Alaska9 student research assistants jobs
- PSEA7 student research assistants jobs
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Compare different student research assistants
Student research assistant vs. Laboratory internship
A laboratory intern is responsible for assisting laboratory operations and perform examinations and experiments under the supervision of tenured laboratory staff. Laboratory interns shadow all the laboratory processes, document their observations, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results. They must have excellent knowledge of scientific procedures, demonstrating their class learnings to practical applications. A laboratory intern must be detail-oriented, especially on conducting and verifying the accuracy of research materials. It is also required for a laboratory intern to be a fast-learner, understanding the scientific complexities to master various approaches.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, student research assistant responsibilities require skills like "student research," "literature reviews," "research data," and "spss." Meanwhile a typical laboratory internship has skills in areas such as "lab procedures," "laboratory procedures," "test results," and "sample preparation." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Laboratory interns tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $48,851. In contrast, student research assistants make the biggest average salary, $33,318, in the education industry.The education levels that laboratory interns earn slightly differ from student research assistants. In particular, laboratory interns are 4.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a student research assistant. Additionally, they're 2.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Student research assistant vs. Doctoral student
A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that student research assistant responsibilities requires skills like "lab equipment," "student research," "laboratory equipment," and "literature reviews." But a doctoral student might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "java," "protein expression," "scholar," and "molecular biology."
Doctoral students earn higher levels of education than student research assistants in general. They're 18.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for student research assistants in the next 3-5 years?
David Simon
Professor, Stonehill College
With the surge in interest in quantum computation and related areas such as quantum cryptography, quantum communication, and quantum sensing, working knowledge of quantum mechanics has become a valuable asset for job seekers. In the past ten years, many start-up companies have appeared whose purpose has been to bring formerly exotic quantum protocols and quantum technologies to life in practical, real-world applications. Many tech giants like Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and Google have also recently founded initiatives along the same lines. So, these quantum technology companies have become a valuable source of potential jobs for new graduates who have a strong grounding in quantum mechanics, combined with either solid computational or experimental skills.
One other rapidly growing source of potential employment for new physics graduates in photonics, the science and application of light-based technologies. Photonics has an enormous range of applications that includes fiber-optic communication networks, self-driving cars, remote sensing for archeology, biomedical imaging, and remote detection of environmental hazards. Photonic devices are also one of the most promising platforms for the quantum technologies mentioned above, as well as being a key tool for many areas of fundamental science such as quantum optics and atomic physics. Non-academic jobs in photonics-related industries have been exploding in recent years, but the academic world has been slow to keep up: there is a widely recognized shortage of dedicated photonics programs at the undergraduate level. So, a student who graduates from a physics program with a strong background in optics and electronics is likely to find themselves with a wide variety of options in photonics-related careers.
Student research assistant vs. Research fellow
A research intern is responsible for assisting the research team with conducting an investigation, compiling information, and analyzing results for an organized research study. Research interns' duties also include understanding the work processes and operation procedures, sharing strategies and recommendations on research methods, reaching out to appropriate research correspondents, managing clients' inquiries and concerns, keeping important client records for reference, studying current market trends, and maintaining the eagerness to learn. A research intern must have strong attention to detail and excellent communication skills to perform on daily research tasks.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from student research assistant resumes include skills like "lab equipment," "student research," "laboratory equipment," and "research data," whereas a research fellow is more likely to list skills in "patients," "immunology," "crispr," and "cell biology. "
Research fellows make a very good living in the non profits industry with an average annual salary of $57,261. On the other hand, student research assistants are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $33,318.When it comes to education, research fellows tend to earn higher degree levels compared to student research assistants. In fact, they're 6.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 28.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Student research assistant vs. Research internship
Types of student research assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
