What is a career in research?
Research roles are found in academia, advocacy and policy development, in international or environmental organisations, as well as financial services, regulators, market and social research. The list goes on. Underpinning the work is a desire to use research methods, to design research activities, conduct investigations, analyse findings, write up and present reports.
In social research your outputs might shape policy decisions or evaluate existing policy; in commercial settings your work might influence corporate decisions or contribute to product development; in agencies you might provide clients with insights and recommendations; in the creative industries you might produce content for broadcasting, information or entertainment; in academia you will create new knowledge and disseminate it through publications, conferences and teaching; in polling organisations you gather data to understand the views and opinions of the public.
Research is popular work with LSE graduates, and you’ll find alumni employed in many different types of organisations. Many will have done a master's qualification; nearly all researchers in academia will have done (or be doing) a PhD.
While working in research can make for a very rewarding, exciting and impactful career, it’s important to bear in mind that the working context may be substantially different to what you have experienced while developing your research skills during your academic studies. Roles may entail, for example, working on multiple projects at the same time, working at pace and under pressure, and perhaps engaging with subject areas on a somewhat light-touch basis.
As you progress in your career, it’s common either to develop expertise in a type of research method or to become a specialist in a particular field. There are roles and career paths available for researchers with qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods backgrounds, and showcasing the methodological know-how that you have previously brought to specific projects is an excellent way of demonstrating your experience, subject knowledge and capabilities.
Research managers are promoted because of their competence, and they progress to managing other people, overseeing projects and allocating budgets.
Where can I work, what can I do, and how can I get there?
- Academia – in a research centre, conducting and promoting research, or in a department where you will also teach and carry out other tasks associated with higher education. A PhD is the usual entry point criteria in academia.
- Research centres and institutes – some are independent, some are linked to universities. Research Assistant is the usual entry position. Examples include the What Works Centres, which hire periodically, and other vacancies will be on jobs.ac.uk.
- Think tanks and foundations – employ researchers permanently or on short-term contracts. There are many think tanks all over the world. Smart Thinking and the Open Think Tank Directory are useful sources of information.
- Government (local, national or European) and other policy makers – all the main UK government departments employ social researchers. A useful starting point is the Government Social Research website. Many people will also be members of the Social Research Association. Research agencies provide services to governments; Verian, Ecorys and ICF are examples. Professional Services firms deliver research for governments; Deloitte and PWC are examples. Regulators employ researchers and work closely with government departments, Ofcom and the Pensions Regulator are examples. Local government jobs involving research work are varied and interesting too, often relating to impact and evaluation.
- Foreign policy and political risk – are issues covered by specialist consultancies including Control Risks, Risk Advisory , Teneo and think tanks like Chatham House and ODI. They often employ researchers at entry level. You will find examples of entry level positions on CareerHub as well as on the webpages of individual organisations.
- Research agencies – focus on a range of public policy topics, eg, employment, social services, education, the environment, health and transport. Examples of employers include: National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), Scottish Centre for Social Research (ScotCen) and Ipsos.
- Market research agencies – may work across a range of sectors or specialise. Examples of large agencies with international reach include Mintel, Circana, S&P Global, YouGov, Savanta, More in Common and Kantar. Some focus on polling, others on more general research. In-house market research is conducted by many organisations. The Market Research Society (MRS) is the industry membership body providing professional standards and qualifications, as well as useful information about the industry. The British Polling Council lists member organisations, some of which are also members of the MRS.
- Charities and pressure groups – many charities, political parties, trade unions, pressure and lobby groups conduct their own research and employ permanent and freelance research staff. A genuine interest and demonstrable passion for the organisation’s cause is required, be this social justice, equity, welfare or any other issue.
- International and multilateral organisations and development consultancies – the bigger NGOs, eg, Save the Children, employ research staff to conduct studies, pilots and evaluations of policy. Multilaterals such as the World Bank, UN and EU also employ researchers and, in some cases, have specific PhD entry points. The smaller consultancies employ researchers to research and write funding documents or to evaluate work for their clients. Specialist consultancies include RAND, Ecorys, IMC, Tetra Tech and Dalberg.
- Environmental consultancies – the ENDS directory lists more than 1000 consultancies and has a jobs page. The Green Directory is a searchable directory of environmental organisations including vacancies on Green Jobs.
- Media and communications – researchers assist with all aspects of media production from ideas to execution. They find information, people and places for media producers and so have a different focus from researchers in other sectors.
- Financial services – analysts working in the finance industry have a range of specialisms, eg, in equity, investment, corporate finance or wealth management. Finding, analysing, reporting and presenting data are common tasks. Specialist consultancies provide clients with quantitative research. For example, G Research seeks applicants with high level quantitative skills.
- Other commercial and corporate employers hire researchers too for business development, understanding client needs and user experience. Others, for example include, Law firms needing people for knowledge sharing; the pharmaceutical industry employing people managing clinical trials. Internal research is common too on issues relating to HR, compliance and sustainability.
- Research roles cut across many sectors, but employers value industry experience as well as specific skills and technical expertise.
There are many different roles and job titles in the sector. We’ve outlined those that are often of interest to LSE students with links to further information. If you can, try to talk to someone who’s doing the job you’re interested in (use LinkedIn to search for LSE alumni, or use the School's Ask an Alum tool), so you can get a flavour of what it’s really like.
Job titles and ways of working vary between sectors, and we suggest you consider the differences between them. For example:
- Academic researcher – plans research projects, seeks funding, and records and reports findings. The Researcher (HE) job description on jobs.ac.uk provides further details.
- Policy researcher – investigates, analyses and evaluates policy relevant to the organisation. Take a look at the Prospects policy officer job profile for more information.
- Data analyst – uses quantitative skills and tools to conduct research and manage data, often producing visualisations of data and graphs. The Prospects profile describes the data analyst role and you may want to use the LSE Digital Skills Lab for free training. Promotion leads you to data manager.
- User experience researcher – conducts primary research to inform an organisation’s design of the (often digital) user experience. The Prospects UX designer job profile provides useful information.
- Evaluation officer – reviews and reports on the impact of policy. A search online will provide example job descriptions. This role sometimes combines monitoring and evaluation.
- Analyst – often found in the finance and corporate sectors. Visit our Careers in economics page to find out more about the economic analyst role.
- Market researcher or insight researcher– collects and analyses data and information to present to clients. Check out the Prospects market researcher job profile.
- Media researcher – provides support to the producer and production team of a television, radio, film or online project. The Prospects media researcher job profile will tell you more.
- Social researcher – plans, designs, conducts, manages and reports on social research projects. The Prospects social researcher job profile provides further details.
- Freelance or casual researcher – sometimes known as ‘fields and tabs’ roles. Work is offered on a contract or hourly basis for data collection (fields) and data analysis (tabs). Companies seek speculative approaches and CVs from people with relevant interests and skills, for example: Swift research; Fields and Tabs. This is good career building activity and can help fill gaps in your career progression.
You can find more information about starting a career in research here:
When should I apply for roles in this sector?
Some government and international organisations have annual hiring processes. The UK Government Social Research Scheme, for example; also the World Bank Young Professionals Programme and International Monetary Fund.
Other organisations hire as and when they need staff. Vacancies are advertised, usually with a closing date for applications, and recruitment can take anything from a few weeks to a few months.
Insights from alumni and organisations
What skills are needed or sought after in this sector?
Lamia Irfan (LSE Social Policy PhD 2018) is the Applied Research Lead in Innovation and Design Labs at CAPCO, London, asked to give advice to people wanting to work in research, she says:
"Be clear what you can do for the employer in terms they understand. Once you’re in, your workload is more varied, and stretching yourself professionally becomes easier. But the first step is to show you fit in. At selection stage, this requires presenting your personal narrative to show clearly how you will add value and make a difference in the way the employer needs. Reframing your story and editing it to show how you fit in is not easy, but is essential."
Dustin Voss (LSE European Institute PhD 2022) is a Senior Researcher at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, asked to describe the skills he uses in his work, he says:
"The skills I use in my work are a fun combination of critical and creative thinking to identify interesting research gaps and relevant societal problems and questions, and a high degree of self-discipline, goal orientation and concentration in the implementation of research projects. My PhD at the LSE equipped me with many relevant personal and professional skills that I can build on in my professional life, but I see two as perhaps most crucial: the ability to think through and appraise arguments in a structured and methodologically sound way, and a degree of critical self-reflection and the ability to change direction and update my prior thinking in light of helpful feedback from peers."
Karl Stickler, (LSE MPhil Mathematics 2023) reflecting on skills used in his role as Applied Scientist at Amazon, says:
"Working with algorithms, optimisation and quant theory during my studies at LSE developed technical skills which were tested in the selection process at Amazon and were beyond the level required for the tasks of Applied Scientist, where implementation and reliable application are required. Communication and other soft skills, sharpened in prior work experience, were valued in the customer focussed commercial world and I engage with stakeholders and build professional relationships with ease."
Gianluca Giudice, (LSE PhD Statistics 2022) a quant researcher says:
"My experience at UBS has been very rewarding, as the role is highly research oriented. Much of the work feels like running focused research projects tailored to business needs, which keeps things both applied and intellectually stimulating. Working in algorithmic trading also means access to huge amounts of data, so experimenting and testing ideas is particularly rewarding. I’ve also been fortunate to be part of a team that values rigorous research, which makes a big difference to how projects develop."
Key skills include: qualitative and quantitative research methods, data analysis, and increasingly, data visualisation and data science.
Are there any key trends to be aware of in this sector?
Employer insights
IFF is a fast-growing social research agency in England. Kelsey Beninger, LSE alumna and Research Director at IFF advises candidates to consider the training offered to new entrants. She says, "we have an exceptional, award-winning three-week scheme for trainee research executives, and a structured first year programme for new hires." Read about training at IFF.
Alumni journeys and insights
Many examples of LSE graduates working in research roles can be found on LinkedIn, here’s a selection:
- Aveek, Research Director at Social Market Foundation, now in UK Civil Service
- Cecile, Research Manager at Ecorys, now Lead Managing Consultant at ICF
- Celestin, Head of Research at the RSA
- Eleonora, Senior Policy Manager, Ofcom
- George, Senior User Researcher at JP Morgan (Nutmeg), now VP Client Experience
- Gianluca, Quantitative Researcher at UBS
- Kelsey, Research Director at IFF
- Louise Marie, Cyber Security Researcher at RUSI
- Luis, Equity Research Associate at UBS
Other trends
The growth of AI in research is impacting roles and responsibilities. New roles are being created and new platforms are being developed to speed up and increase efficiency. The Market Research Society has guidance on good ethical practice of AI and other technologies, and offers training courses on the use of AI in research.
Other topics currently discussed in the field include: sustainability and climate change; EDI issues; automated systems and integrating tools and aps; machine learning and big data analytics; real time data collection; interdisciplinary approaches; privacy and ethics; visualisation and better reporting.
Where can I find out more about working in this sector?
Interested in finding out more about a career in research?
Here are some helpful links, including the ways LSE Careers can work with you on your journey.
LSE Careers' events programmes include alumni speakers and employer representatives with expertise and experience in working in research.
Look out for Meet an Alum sessions on themes like 'studying and working in research'; and all our sectory discovery programmes.
- Resources Group global talent agency for the sector
- Social Research Association jobs page a small list of current vacancies
- Charity Job lists vacancies for research roles in charities, local government and NGOs.
- Jobs.ac.uk is the key source for academic research positions in the UK (and has some international roles too). It is easily searchable by role and field.
- Many research jobs are listed on LinkedIn, Indeed, Reed, Hays, and other large recruitment agencies.
- Specialist recruiters will be active on LinkedIn and you might meet others while applying for advertised vacancies.