Common use of Research Assistant Clause in Contracts

Research Assistant. A research assistant (RA) works with faculty on the faculty member’s academic and research projects, both at the University and in the field. RA research duties vary across departments and projects, are defined by the faculty member who serves as principal investigator, and are thus administered independently by each department and/or investigator. The University and the Union acknowledge that due to the nature of research and education in the sciences, the research being conducted by an RA on behalf of a principal investigator may also be, in whole or in part, in furtherance of the Graduate Student Employee’s thesis. The amount of time spent on their dissertation research is an academic matter at the discretion of the graduate student in respectful and frequent consultation with their advisor. Appointments are made by the Graduate School on the basis of departmental recommendations.