Assistant lecturer to university research assistant
An assistant lecturer already meets 78% of what the university research assistant role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.9/ 100
1 How much of what a university research assistant is expected to do is already part of an assistant lecturer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the university research assistant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A university research assistant role treats 37 of its required skills as things an assistant lecturer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply for research funding
- apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities
- apply scientific methods
- communicate with a non-scientific audience
- conduct research across disciplines
- demonstrate disciplinary expertise
What stands in the way is 6 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 56 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A university research assistant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an assistant lecturer background worth leading with.
- already held provide assistance to lecturer communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use data processing techniques working with computers
- already held mathematical modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held multidisciplinary research generic programmes and qualifications
- already held develop scientific research protocols information skills
- already held computer simulation information and communication technologies (icts)
All 56 carried skills, including the 37 the university research assistant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn study topics required
- still to learn archive scientific documentation required
- still to learn conduct scholarly research required
- optional, not held analyse experimental laboratory data optional
- optional, not held apply statistical analysis techniques optional
- optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
- still to learn assist scientific research required
- still to learn write research proposals required
- optional, not held consult students on learning content optional
- optional, not held participate in scientific colloquia optional
- optional, not held supervise practical courses optional
- still to learn discuss research proposals required
- optional, not held computational biology optional
- optional, not held computational chemistry optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held stem cells optional
- optional, not held geography optional
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held quantitative analysis optional
- optional, not held calibrate laboratory equipment optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a university research assistant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 study topics practise this
- 02 archive scientific documentation practise this
- 03 assist scientific research practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 56 skills that carry over
- already held apply for research funding skill
- already held apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities skill
- already held apply scientific methods skill
- already held communicate with a non-scientific audience skill
- already held conduct research across disciplines skill
- already held demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
- already held develop professional network with researchers and scientists skill
- already held develop scientific theories skill
- already held disseminate results to the scientific community skill
- already held draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation skill
- already held evaluate research activities skill
- already held increase the impact of science on policy and society skill
- already held integrate gender dimension in research skill
- already held interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
- already held manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data skill
- already held manage intellectual property rights skill
- already held manage open publications skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held manage research data skill
- already held mentor individuals skill
- already held monitor developments in field of expertise skill
- already held operate open source software skill
- already held perform project management skill
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held promote open innovation in research skill
- already held promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities skill
- already held promote the transfer of knowledge skill
- already held publish academic research skill
- already held research design knowledge
- already held scientific literature knowledge
- already held scientific research methodology knowledge
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held synthesise information skill
- already held think abstractly skill
- already held university procedures knowledge
- already held use data processing techniques skill
- already held write scientific publications skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held apply blended learning skill
- already held apply teaching strategies skill
- already held assist students in their learning skill
- already held assist students with their dissertation skill
- already held computer simulation knowledge
- already held conduct qualitative research skill
- already held conduct quantitative research skill
- already held develop scientific research protocols skill
- already held mathematical modelling knowledge
- already held multidisciplinary research knowledge
- already held operate scientific measuring equipment skill
- already held prepare lesson content skill
- already held provide assistance to lecturer skill
- already held provide lesson materials skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held report test findings skill
- already held statistics knowledge
- already held teach in academic or vocational contexts skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held cognitive computing optional
- optional, not held search databases optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held analyse experimental laboratory data optional
- optional, not held cognitive computing optional
- optional, not held computational biology optional
- optional, not held computational chemistry optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held stem cells optional
- optional, not held apply statistical analysis techniques optional
- optional, not held calibrate laboratory equipment optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held consult students on learning content optional
- optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
- optional, not held geography optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held participate in scientific colloquia optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
- optional, not held quantitative analysis optional
- optional, not held search databases optional
- optional, not held supervise practical courses optional
28 held skills the university research assistant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess students skill
- not needed by the target role assessment processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role assist in the organisation of school events skill
- not needed by the target role cooperate with education professionals skill
- not needed by the target role curriculum objectives knowledge
- not needed by the target role design scientific equipment skill
- not needed by the target role develop course outline skill
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role empirical analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role give constructive feedback skill
- not needed by the target role guarantee students' safety skill
- not needed by the target role guide international students skill
- not needed by the target role interpret current data skill
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role learning difficulties knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with educational staff skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with educational support staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage resources for educational purposes skill
- not needed by the target role manage student relationships skill
- not needed by the target role oversee extra-curricular activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform background research on writing subject skill
- not needed by the target role perform classroom management skill
- not needed by the target role promote education course skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on study programmes skill
- not needed by the target role provide teacher support skill
- not needed by the target role teach university class skill
- not needed by the target role work with virtual learning environments skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held European integration optional
- optional, not held cognitive computing optional
- optional, not held computational biology optional
- optional, not held computational chemistry optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held stem cells optional
- optional, not held geography optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held quantitative analysis optional
Common questions about this move
Can an assistant lecturer become a university research assistant?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An assistant lecturer already covers 78% of what a university research assistant is expected to do: 56 skills carry over, 37 of which the university research assistant role treats as required.
What skills does an assistant lecturer need to become a university research assistant?
6 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is study topics.
How hard is the move from assistant lecturer to university research assistant?
Its learning distance is 35.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.