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A research assistant (in some institutions referred to as Research Officer) is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a college or university or a research institute, for the purpose of assisting in academic research. Research assistants are not independent and not responsible for the out-come of the research and are responsible to a supervisor or principal investigator.
Research assistants are often enrolled in a higher degree (e.g. Masters or Ph.D.) programme. In research institutions without graduate programmes, research assistants positions are typically for graduates who are gaining research experience on short term contracts.
Undergraduate and Post-doctoral level
Although a research assistant is normally appointed at graduate level, due to the short-term nature of such position, so-called undergraduate research assistant are sometimes appointed to support research.
Similarly a postdoctoral research assistant who has recently been awarded a doctoral degree, may hold a temporary appointment as a research assistant, especially for position without any autonomy and research independence that requires high degree reliability.
Clinical Research Assistants
A Clinical Research Assistant is employed by a hospital or medical research centre, who is involved in the administration of clinical trials. He or she may assist a senior investigator with recruiting and enrolling research subjects, as well as with correspondence and grant applications.
See also
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