A research assistant (RA) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract,
by a
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
, a research institute or a privately held organization, for the purpose of assisting in academic or private
research
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
. Research assistants are not independent and are responsible to a supervisor or principal investigator and usually are not directly responsible for the outcome of the research. However, in some countries, research assistants can be the main contributor to the outcome of the research. Research assistants are often educated to degree level
and might be enrolled in a
postgraduate degree
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and s ...
program and simultaneously teach, for example, if enrolled in a PhD programme they are known as Doctoral Research Assistants.
Undergraduate and post-doctoral level
Although a research assistant is normally appointed at graduate level, undergraduates are also sometimes appointed to support research. In Economics and Business, for instance, numerous research assistantship opportunities are available to students who graduated from college. Such (paid) research assistantship positions normally last between one and two years and are becoming increasingly common experience before applying to PhD programs in Economics and Business. Applications to such research assistantship positions normally take place in the Fall quarter of the senior year.
PREDOC: Pathways to Research and Doctoral Careers
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Similarly, someone who has recently been awarded a doctoral degree may hold a temporary appointment as a '' postdoctoral research assistant''.
Clinical research assistant
A clinical research assistant or clinical research associate is employed by a hospital or medical research centre, who is involved in the administration of clinical trials
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...
. They may assist a senior investigator with recruiting and enrolling research subjects, as well as with correspondence and grant applications.
See also
* Academic freedom
Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teac ...
* Graduate student
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and st ...
* Research associate
Research associates are researchers (scholars and professionals) that usually have an advanced degree beyond a Master's degree.
In some universities/research institutes, such as Harvard/Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Public Health, th ...
* Researcher
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Research Assistant
Academic administration
Education and training occupations