what is a research associate 
a research associate typically works within a research department of an investment bank or asset management firm to provide helpful data to the decision makers who buy and sell securities for the firm a research associate can plan organize and conduct research about industries sectors individual companies markets various investment vehicles and economics understanding the role of investment researchmost large investment banks have in house research departments that support their sales and trading efforts a sell side firm may have several research groups according to the company s different investment products for example stocks corporate bonds derivatives and so on a firm s research professionals provide critical decision making information to its salesmen and traders that substantiate the financial products they sell to institutional investors a firm s research often provides specific buy sell and hold recommendations along with their rationale a key product of a research department is its written research whether that takes the form of scrawled notes to the trading desk or a formal published research report along with appropriate financial models that goes out to the buy side usually it s a combination of both and each format plays a specific role in providing time sensitive analysis that supports decision making 