Research Assistant Resume & CV Examples
A research assistant supports a research project led by a principal investigator, and the page should show that support: literature reviews, designing questionnaires, collecting data in the field, lab or online, cleaning and coding datasets, running analyses in R, Stata or Python, managing field teams, preparing ethics paperwork and co-writing reports and papers. A research assistant CV should prove skills such as literature reviews, survey and experiment design, and data cleaning and coding with numbers from your own work. Below are three samples, graduate to senior, with summaries, bullets and skills.
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Research Assistant CV examples by experience level
All three samples are illustrative: the people, employers and every figure are made up.
Graduate sample
Dylan Garza
MSc Economics · Stata and R · survey design · dissertation on 1,200-household data
London, UK · 07700 900154 · dylan.garza@example.com · github.com/example-imogenfo
Summary
- Economics postgraduate trained in Stata, R and survey methods, seeking a research assistant role in a university or policy research institute.
Education
- MSc Economics, a London university · 2026 · Distinction
- BSc Economics, a Russell Group university · 2025 · First-class honours
Research
- Dissertation: women's paid work and household water access, using 1,200 households from a public survey; cleaned and merged 3 survey modules in Stata; ran logit models with district fixed effects; presented findings at a department seminar.
Skills
- Stata, R (tidyverse), Excel, survey platforms, literature reviews, data cleaning, regression, LaTeX, interviews in English and French
Mid-level sample
Jonah Marsh
Senior Research Assistant · 3 years · randomised evaluations · field teams of 25 · Stata and Python
Manchester, UK · 07700 900189 · jonah.marsh@example.com
Summary
- Research assistant with three years on two randomised evaluations in education and health. Managed field teams of 25 surveyors, ran back-checks on 10% of 8,000 surveys, and wrote the cleaning code used for 4 survey rounds.
Experience
- Senior Research Assistant, a development research organisation, Manchester, UK · 2024 – present · Ran baseline and endline surveys for 8,000 households across 2 districts; trained and managed 25 surveyors; back-checks on 10% with discrepancy rate under 3%.
- Research Assistant, a development research organisation, Manchester, UK · 2023 – 2024 · Built 3 survey forms of 200+ questions; cleaned 4 survey rounds.
Education
- MSc Economics, a Northern England university · 2023
Skills
- Stata, Python (pandas), survey platforms, randomisation and power calculations, field management, data quality checks, ethics documentation, report writing
Senior sample
Cyrus Jarvis
Senior Research Assistant / Lab Manager · 6 years · molecular biology · 4 publications
Cambridge, UK · 07700 900231 · cyrus.jarvis@example.com
Summary
- Senior research assistant and lab manager with six years in a molecular biology lab: 4 co-authored publications, management of a £65,000 equipment budget, and training of 12 junior researchers on lab safety and methods.
Experience
- Senior Research Assistant and Lab Manager, a national research institute, Cambridge, UK · 2021 – present · Run qPCR, western blots and cell culture; 4 co-authored papers; manage a £65,000 equipment budget; trained 12 juniors; lead lab safety audits.
- Research Assistant, a national research institute, Cambridge, UK · 2020 – 2021 · Early-career laboratory support post.
Education
- MSc Biotechnology, a Russell Group university · 2020
- BSc Biochemistry, a UK university · 2019 · First-class honours
Skills
- qPCR, western blotting, cell culture, lab management, equipment budgets, safety audits, training, manuscript writing, R for statistics
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What does a research assistant do?
Research assistants work in universities, research institutes, think tanks and hospital research units, and the page should show methods, datasets, publications and the tools you use.
Best CV format for a research assistant
- Put methods, datasets and software near the top, then publications.
- Give sample sizes, team sizes and budgets you handled.
- Keep it to two pages; publications usually go on page two.
The section order and what goes in each are on the how to write a resume guide; the resume format guide covers every format by type and country.
Summary examples by level
- Graduate: Economics postgraduate trained in Stata and R, whose dissertation used 1,200 households from a public survey.
- Mid-level: Research assistant with three years on randomised evaluations, managing 25 surveyors and back-checking 10% of 8,000 surveys.
- Senior: Senior research assistant and lab manager with six years, 4 publications and a £65,000 equipment budget, who trained 12 juniors.
Work experience bullet points
- Cleaned and merged 3 survey modules covering 1,200 households in Stata.
- Ran baseline and endline surveys for 8,000 households across 2 districts.
- Trained and managed 25 surveyors with back-checks on 10% of surveys.
- Built 3 survey forms of 200+ questions and cleaned 4 survey rounds.
- Co-authored 4 papers from a molecular biology lab.
- Managed a £65,000 equipment budget for a 6-person lab.
- Trained 12 junior researchers on lab safety and methods.
Key skills to list
Hard skills: Literature reviews, Survey and experiment design, Data cleaning and coding, Stata, R and Python analysis, Field team management, Ethics and data protection paperwork, Lab techniques (where relevant), Report and manuscript writing, Reference management, Presentation of results.
Soft skills: Attention to detail, Working under a principal investigator, Meeting deadlines, Clear writing, Careful with sensitive data.
Writing the letter too? See the research assistant cover letter example.
Education and certifications
- Name your degree and any master's or doctorate, with the university and year, and give your grade if it is strong.
- List methods courses, software training and any ethics or data protection training, with the year.
- Add publications, conference talks and datasets you worked with, with your role.
FAQ
Research Assistant CV questions, answered.
Still unsure? Send us a message — a real person replies.
What should the CV of a research assistant include?
Your degree and grade, methods and datasets you worked with, software such as Stata, R or Python, sample sizes, team sizes and any publications or presentations. Give your role on each project, and use numbers such as households surveyed or papers co-authored.
How do I write the CV when I have no paid research experience?
Use your dissertation, coursework projects and volunteer research, with the dataset size, methods and software. Add a supervisor reference and a line on ethics or data protection training, so a principal investigator sees you can handle data responsibly.
Should I list publications, and how?
Yes, with the full citation and your role, such as data analysis or co-author. Put the strongest first, mark work under review as in review, and leave out anything you did not help write. A short line on the journal or venue helps a principal investigator judge the work.