Research Associate - Quantitative
Institute for Defense Analyses
Alexandria, VA · $69k–$194k a year · Posted November 4, 2026
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Where Alexandria, VA ranks
Where Alexandria, VA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Mid-Atlantic69 / 100 · of 37
- #4Best cities for government pay after cost of living$139k · of 18
- #5Cities with the most hybrid jobs in the Southeast16% · of 84
- #6Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Southeast62 / 100 · of 33
- #7Best cities for pay after cost of living in Virginia$139k · of 15
- #8Best all-round cities for new graduates65 / 100 · of 100
Pay compared with the market
This listing pays about $131,365 a year. Across 64 open research associate listings that state pay, the middle half runs $64,500 to $95,000 and the median is $77,500. That is 70% above the median, above the middle half of those listings.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
How AI is used in this kind of work
AI use among life, physical, and social science technicians, all other is little observed so far. Measured exposure for life, physical, and social science technicians, all other: 10% (little observed).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
About the job
...Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a non-profit federally funded research and development center. IDA provides answers to questions... ...results. IDA has an immediate opening for a Research Associate (RA) with a strong interest in national security challenges, demonstrated...