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A Research Assistant is a junior graduate scholar, employed on a temporary contract by a college or university or a non-university research institution, for the purpose of academic research. A research assistant usually works on a project supervised by one or more full-time academics that are responsible for administering the funds from which he or she is paid.

Nowadays, most research assistantships are awarded to graduate assistants, i.e. graduate students who work towards an advanced degree (e.g. M.S. or Ph.D.); however, as non-university research institutions don't often have graduate students, the research assistants are typically recent college graduates who are considering graduate school in their field. Depending on the funding, these appointments generally last until the completion of their degrees. In some universities, the title research associate is used instead of "assistant", although a research associate is more likely to have a doctorate.

This differs somewhat from a Clinical Research Assistant, individuals employed largely by hospitals and medical centres involved in the running of clinical trials. These individuals are usually employed in salaried, full-time positions, and assist study investigators with recruiting and enrolling research subjects, IRB correspondence and compliance, and grant applications. These positions are usually held by individuals who have just finished their undergraduate education for a year or two, before enrolling graduate school.

See also

• research supervisor
• research fellow
• Postdoctoral researcher
• researcher

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