Research Engineer Job Trends
Research Engineer
UK
The median Research Engineer salary in the UK is £64,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 1 November 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 1 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 759 | 667 | 712 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -92 | +45 | -10 |
| Permanent Research Engineer jobs | 56 | 9 | 31 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.046% | 0.018% | 0.046% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.050% | 0.020% | 0.048% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 36 | 3 | 29 |
| 10th Percentile | £49,805 | £58,000 | £40,000 |
| 25th Percentile | £58,342 | £62,500 | £46,250 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £64,000 | £70,000 | £50,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -8.57% | +40.00% | -29.82% |
| 75th Percentile | £87,500 | £95,625 | £85,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £100,000 | £111,000 | £100,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £85,000 | £70,000 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +21.43% | +40.00% | -9.09% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job adverts matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 1 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in the UK matching a recognised job title | 112,557 | 45,468 | 64,622 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 91.92% | 90.21% | 95.06% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 75,153 | 27,366 | 36,680 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,750 | £28,250 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,250 | £35,000 | £42,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £59,000 | £52,500 | £57,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +12.38% | -7.89% | -5.00% |
| 75th Percentile | £76,250 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £97,500 | £92,500 | £95,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,000 | £46,000 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +19.57% | -8.00% | -4.76% |
Research Engineer Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent Research Engineer job postings relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
Research Engineer Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for Research Engineer job vacancies in the UK.
Research Engineer Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for Research Engineer jobs over the 6 months to 1 November 2026.
Research Engineer Top 9 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in Research Engineer jobs within the UK over the 6 months to 1 November 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.
| Location | Rank Change on Same Period Last Year |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | -92 | 55 | £65,000 | -7.14% | 46 |
| London | - | 31 | £63,000 | - | 32 |
| UK excluding London | -138 | 24 | £85,000 | +21.43% | 18 |
| Work from Home | -35 | 17 | £63,000 | -10.00% | 7 |
| South East | -71 | 11 | £40,500 | -48.57% | 5 |
| South West | - | 10 | £85,000 | - | 5 |
| Midlands | - | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| West Midlands | - | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Wales | - | 1 | £55,000 | - | 2 |
Research Engineer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 1 November 2026, Research Engineer job ads cited the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent Research Engineer job ads.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineering | 39.3% | 22 |
| 2 | AI | 33.9% | 19 |
| 3 | Python | 28.6% | 16 |
| 4 | Degree | 26.8% | 15 |
| 5 | PhD | 23.2% | 13 |
| 6 | Systems Engineering | 19.6% | 11 |
| 7 | Problem-Solving | 17.9% | 10 |
| 8 | C | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | Data Visualisation | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | Feasibility Study | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | Prototyping | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | R | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | Rapid Prototyping | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | SC Cleared | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | Security Cleared | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | Thales | 16.1% | 9 |
| 8 | Visualisation | 16.1% | 9 |
| 18 | Agile | 14.3% | 8 |
| 18 | CI/CD | 14.3% | 8 |
| 18 | Postgraduate | 14.3% | 8 |
| 21 | Accessibility | 12.5% | 7 |
| 21 | Computer Science | 12.5% | 7 |
| 21 | Data Science | 12.5% | 7 |
| 21 | Machine Learning | 12.5% | 7 |
| 21 | Open Source | 12.5% | 7 |
| 26 | Mathematics | 10.7% | 6 |
| 27 | Decision-Making | 8.9% | 5 |
| 27 | Generative AI | 8.9% | 5 |
| 27 | LLM | 8.9% | 5 |
| 27 | Master's Degree | 8.9% | 5 |
Research Engineer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Job Titles
| Rank | Job Title | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Research Software Engineer | 28.6% | 16 |
| 2 | Principal Engineer | 17.9% | 10 |
| 3 | Research Scientist | 16.1% | 9 |
| 3 | Senior Software Engineer | 16.1% | 9 |
| 5 | Principal Systems Engineer | 12.5% | 7 |
| 6 | Senior Data Engineer | 10.7% | 6 |
| 6 | Senior Data Scientist | 10.7% | 6 |
| 8 | Development Engineer | 8.9% | 5 |
| 9 | Embedded Engineer | 7.1% | 4 |
| 10 | DataOps Engineer | 5.4% | 3 |
| 10 | Gen AI Software Engineer | 5.4% | 3 |
| 10 | Security Engineer | 5.4% | 3 |
| 13 | Systems Engineer | 3.6% | 2 |
| 14 | Machine Learning Engineer | 1.8% | 1 |
| 14 | RF Engineer | 1.8% | 1 |
| 14 | Senior Security Engineer | 1.8% | 1 |