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Entry Level Research Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Generalist AI, Inc

Research Assistant

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

This is an entry-level research role for individuals with less than 3 years of research experience, and is designed to be a potential career path towards eventually contributing as a Research ...

System One

Research Operations Associate

San Diego, CA · On-site

$24 - $29.40/hr

Onsite - onsite Hours: 40.0 hours per week Overview Leading pharmaceutical company looking for an entry level Research Operations Associate. Ideal candidates should have a Bachelor's degree in ...

Donor Network West

Research Assistant

Fresno, CA

$16.53 - $19.92/hr

POSITION SUMMARY The Research Assistant provides an opportunity for intern-level introductory ... The candidates will have completed at least a basic entry-level college biology course and be ...

Donor Network West

Research Assistant

Fresno, CA · On-site

$16.53 - $19.92/hr

POSITION SUMMARY The Research Assistant provides an opportunity for intern-level introductory ... The candidates will have completed at least a basic entry-level college biology course and be ...

Donor Network West

Research Assistant

Fresno, CA · On-site

$16.53 - $19.92/hr

POSITION SUMMARY The Research Assistant provides an opportunity for intern-level introductory ... The candidates will have completed at least a basic entry-level college biology course and be ...

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Entry Level Research information

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How much do entry level research jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 30, 2026, the average hourly pay for entry level research in California is $21.16, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $16.01 and $24.25 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an entry level research job?

An entry level research job typically refers to a position designed for individuals who are new to the research field, often recent graduates or those with limited professional experience. These roles usually involve assisting with data collection, literature reviews, basic data analysis, and supporting more senior researchers on projects. Entry level research jobs are common in academic, scientific, and corporate environments and may include titles such as research assistant or junior researcher. These positions help build foundational skills and experience for a future career in research.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an entry level researcher, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Researcher, you need strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and a relevant bachelor's degree in a field such as science or social sciences. Familiarity with research databases, statistical analysis software (like SPSS or Excel), and literature review tools is often required. Strong written and verbal communication, curiosity, and the ability to collaborate effectively are essential soft skills. These abilities enable researchers to collect accurate data, draw meaningful conclusions, and contribute to successful research projects.

What are some common challenges faced by entry level research professionals, and how can they overcome them?

Entry level research professionals often encounter challenges such as mastering new research methodologies, managing large amounts of data, and adapting to fast-paced project timelines. To overcome these, it's important to proactively seek guidance from more experienced team members, regularly communicate progress with supervisors, and take advantage of available training resources. Building strong organizational skills and being open to feedback will help you navigate complex tasks while developing your expertise within a collaborative team environment.

What is the difference between Entry Level Research vs Research Assistant?

AspectEntry Level ResearchResearch Assistant
Required CredentialsHigh school diploma or bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree often preferred
Work EnvironmentAcademic, corporate, or market research settingsLaboratory, academic, or field research environments
Employer & Industry UsageUniversities, research firms, corporationsUniversities, labs, research institutions
Common Search & ComparisonEntry Level Research vs Research Assistant

Entry Level Research roles typically require a high school diploma or bachelor's degree and involve basic research tasks in various settings. Research Assistants usually have a similar educational background but may require additional skills or experience, often working under supervision in academic or laboratory environments. Both roles serve as entry points into research careers, with overlapping responsibilities but differing in specific work environments and expectations.

What are the most commonly searched types of Research jobs in California?

The most popular types of Research jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Entry Level Research jobs?

Cities in California with the most Entry Level Research job openings:

Entry Level Research jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Research job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 1% As Needed, 87% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 83% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 13% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $44,020 per year, or $21.2 per hour.

Research Assistant

San Mateo, CA • On-site

Generalist AI, Inc
See more jobs at Generalist AI, Incexternal

$150K - $200K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 4 days ago

Job description

About the Role:
We are looking for a Research Assistant to help design, run, and analyze experiments at the intersection of machine learning and robotics. This is an entry-level research role for individuals with less than 3 years of research experience, and is designed to be a potential career path towards eventually contributing as a Research Scientist.
At Generalist, we are building foundation models for robots. These models improve through a tight feedback loop: design experiments, collect data, train or fine-tune models, evaluate them in the real world, analyze results, and repeat. This role helps make that loop faster, more rigorous, and more reliable.
You will work closely with ML researchers and robotics engineers to run robot experiments, design evaluation tasks, brainstorm ideas, collect data, interpret results, and document repeatable workflows.
A major part of this role is helping ensure our evaluations are trustworthy. We care deeply about experimental design, controls, hands-on iteration, sample sizes, variance, repeatability, and statistical rigor.
You'll be responsible for:
  • Running structured experiments on robot platforms
  • Setting up physical tasks, materials, fixtures, and benchmarks for robot evaluations
  • Collecting high-quality robot data and tracking experimental conditions
  • Measuring real-world success rates across tasks, robots, and model variants
  • Designing evaluations with attention to controls, repeatability, statistical rigor, and sources of bias
  • Analyzing results to help distinguish real model improvements from noise
  • Synthesizing findings and communicating them clearly to ML researchers and engineers
  • Preparing robots, sensors, workspaces, and materials for rollouts and evaluations
  • Helping kick off training jobs, run evaluations, and organize results
  • Beta testing internal and third-party tools for teaching robots new skills
  • Troubleshooting physical setups, hardware issues, and procedural bottlenecks
  • Writing clear documentation and playbooks so others can reproduce workflows
  • Improving experimental reliability, data quality, and operational throughput over time
You might thrive in this role if you:
  • Have experience running experiments, lab studies, field studies, data collection workflows, or structured evaluations
  • Think carefully about experimental design, confounding factors, controls, sample sizes, variance, and what conclusions the data can actually support
  • Are diligent and detail-oriented, especially when tasks are repetitive but subtle differences matter
  • Enjoy hands-on work with physical systems, equipment, materials, or instruments
  • Are comfortable following protocols while also noticing when something is wrong or could be improved
  • Can coordinate many moving parts: robots, materials, tasks, data, model versions, metrics, and documentation
  • Communicate clearly and can summarize what happened, what changed, and what the evidence suggests
  • Are curious about machine learning and robotics, even if you are not yet an expert in either
  • Have some exposure to programming, data analysis, robotics, hardware, electronics, mechanical assembly, or experimental tooling
  • Prefer fast iteration, careful measurement, and empirical progress over abstract theory alone
About Generalist
At Generalist, we are on a mission to make general-purpose robots a reality. We believe the industries and homes of the future will depend on humans and machines working together in new ways. Robots can help us build more and get more done.
We build embodied foundation models, starting with a focus on dexterity. This requires advancing the frontiers of data, models, and hardware, to enable robots to intelligently interact with the physical world.
The company embraces both large-scale AI and robotics as core to its DNA. Our team of researchers, roboticists, and company builders come from OpenAI, Boston Dynamics, Google DeepMind, and other frontier labs-with a track record of shipping AI breakthroughs. Before Generalist, we pioneered large embodied multimodal models and vision-language-action models (PaLM-E, RT-2, Gemini Robotics), launched and scaled ChatGPT and GPT-4 to hundreds of millions of users, engineered the foundations of autonomous driving, built next-generation robots (Atlas, Spot, Stretch) and pushed the limits of what they can do (from parkour to manipulation, and testing robustness).
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

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