Psychedelic Research Jobs: Where to Find Them in 2026

Psychedelic research jobs are the largest and most stable entry point into the industry. This guide covers where the jobs really are, what each role pays, what credentials qualify you, and exactly how to search.

Quick answer

A psychedelic research job is a clinical trial or academic lab role supporting studies on psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, DMT, ibogaine, or related compounds. Most openings are clinical research coordinator, trial protocol nurse, data manager, biostatistician, or regulatory associate roles at drug developers and university-affiliated research centers.

For the broader career map, see our psychedelic careers hub. For the clinical-license pathway, see how to become a psychedelic therapist.

Where the jobs actually are

Psychedelic research is not evenly distributed. Eight organizations run most of the active US and UK trials as of 2026. Learn their names and subscribe to their careers pages.

MAPS PBC / Lykos Therapeutics

Lykos (formerly MAPS PBC) sponsored the Phase 3 MDMA-assisted therapy trials. It continues to hire in clinical operations, regulatory affairs, and medical affairs as it restructures its MDMA program. See MAPS.org and Lykos's careers page.

COMPASS Pathways

COMPASS is developing COMP360 psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD. It hires globally in clinical operations, biostatistics, regulatory, medical affairs, and market access. See compasspathways.com/careers.

Usona Institute

Usona is a non-profit medical research organization running Phase 2 and Phase 3 psilocybin trials for major depressive disorder. Roles are concentrated in Madison, Wisconsin and remote clinical operations. See usonainstitute.org.

Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research

Hopkins CPCR is the largest US academic psychedelic research group. It hires research coordinators, study therapists, and postdocs. Openings are posted at hopkinspsychedelic.org and on the JHU jobs portal.

NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine

NYU Langone's Center for Psychedelic Medicine runs psilocybin and MDMA studies. Roles include research coordinator, clinician-researcher, and postdoctoral fellow. Search NYU Langone careers.

UCSF Translational Psychedelic Research Program (TrPR)

UCSF TrPR studies psilocybin and MDMA for psychiatric and neurological indications. Openings post on the UCSF jobs portal.

Yale Program for Psychedelic Science

Yale runs psilocybin and MDMA studies in psychiatry and neurology. Roles include research coordinator, staff scientist, and postdoc. Search Yale School of Medicine careers.

Imperial College London Centre for Psychedelic Research

Imperial's Centre is the leading UK psychedelic research group. It hires postdocs, PhD students, and clinical research staff. US applicants can apply for postdoc roles; visa sponsorship is common.

Top employers at a glance

The table below maps the eight top employers to the role types they typically hire and their locations. Verify current openings on each employer's careers page.

Employer	Role types	Primary location
MAPS PBC / Lykos	Clinical operations, regulatory, medical affairs	San Jose, CA + remote US
COMPASS Pathways	Clinical operations, biostatistics, regulatory, market access	London / New York / remote
Usona Institute	Clinical operations, chemistry, research nursing	Madison, WI + remote
Johns Hopkins CPCR	CRC, study therapist, postdoc, faculty	Baltimore, MD
NYU Langone Center for Psychedelic Medicine	CRC, clinician-researcher, postdoc	New York, NY
UCSF TrPR	CRC, research nurse, staff scientist	San Francisco, CA
Yale Program for Psychedelic Science	CRC, staff scientist, postdoc	New Haven, CT
Imperial College London	Postdoc, PhD student, research nurse	London, UK

Typical titles

Psychedelic research roles map to the same titles used in any other clinical trial. Recognize them so you can filter listings.

• Clinical research coordinator (CRC): runs the day-to-day at a study site — consent, scheduling, data entry, monitor visits.
• Protocol nurse: RN or NP who monitors safety during dosing sessions and manages study-drug administration.
• Study therapist: licensed clinician delivering the therapy component under the study protocol.
• Data manager: designs and maintains the trial database, cleans data for lock.
• Biostatistician: designs the analysis plan and runs the statistical analyses.
• Regulatory affairs associate: prepares IND submissions, protocol amendments, and FDA correspondence.
• Clinical trial associate / clinical trial manager: sponsor-side oversight of multiple sites.
• Academic PI: faculty running the trial; requires a doctorate and grant funding.

Salary bands (2026)

Bands below reflect US market data compiled from BLS, Payscale, and Glassdoor. Academic centers pay at the low end; sponsor-side industry pays at the high end.

• Clinical research coordinator: $50,000–$80,000. Senior CRC or CRC lead: $80,000–$100,000.
• Protocol nurse (RN): $85,000–$120,000.
• Study therapist: $75,000–$130,000 (varies with license and hourly vs salaried).
• Data manager: $80,000–$115,000.
• Biostatistician: $110,000–$160,000.
• Regulatory affairs associate: $95,000–$140,000. Senior regulatory: $140,000–$200,000.
• Clinical trial manager: $110,000–$160,000.
• Academic postdoc: $60,000–$75,000 (NIH scale).

Credentials that qualify

Most psychedelic research roles do not require a prior psychedelic background. They require standard clinical trial credentials.

Bachelor's degree — research coordinator

A bachelor's in psychology, biology, neuroscience, or public health qualifies you to apply for a CRC role. Prior CRC experience beats subject matter expertise every time. If you can add a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) credential from ACRP, you jump the queue.

RN or NP — protocol nurse

An active RN license qualifies you for trial nursing. Ketamine, IV, or infusion experience is a plus. For NP protocol roles, an active NP license plus prescriber authority is typical.

Master's or PhD — scientist tracks

An MS in biostatistics, epidemiology, or a clinical science plus SAS or R proficiency qualifies you for data and analysis roles. A PhD is required for staff scientist and postdoc titles. An MD or PhD plus grant history is required for PI-track faculty.

Study therapist — clinical license

Study therapist roles require a licensed mental health credential (psychologist, LCSW, MFT, LPC) plus study-specific training on the protocol. See our therapist guide for the license basics.

How to break in with no prior psychedelic experience

The fastest route is transferring adjacent trial experience. If you have no research background at all, add a credential and start volunteering.

1. Complete free training. The NIH offers a free Protecting Human Research Participants course. Complete it and add it to your resume.
2. Earn a CCRC or CCRA credential. The ACRP CCRC (coordinator) or CCRA (associate) certifications signal sponsor-ready basics.
3. Volunteer or intern. Reach out to a psychedelic academic center as a study volunteer. Even monitoring or transcription work builds a reference.
4. Apply broadly on ClinicalTrials.gov. Every active trial has a sponsor and site contact. Cold-apply.
5. Follow sponsor careers pages. Set alerts at COMPASS, Lykos, Usona, and every academic center listed above.

Where to search

Most psychedelic research openings are not on Indeed. Use these sources instead.

• Our clinical trial finder — filter active psychedelic trials by substance and location.
• ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry. Every listed trial has contactable sponsors and sites.
• Sponsor careers pages — COMPASS, Lykos, Usona, atai, MindMed, Cybin, GH Research.
• Academic careers portals — JHU, NYU Langone, UCSF, Yale, Imperial.
• PsychedelicAlpha job board — industry-specific listings.
• PsychedelicsJobs.com — industry-specific listings.
• LinkedIn — set alerts for "clinical research coordinator psilocybin," "trial nurse ketamine," and similar.

Interview prep

Psychedelic research interviews cover standard clinical trial skills plus two topic-specific themes. Prepare for both.

Standard trial skills

Expect questions on ICH-GCP, protocol adherence, adverse event reporting, IRB workflow, source documentation, and EDC entry. If you have never worked a trial, review these before applying.

Drug policy and Schedule I context

Interviewers may ask how you would handle DEA Schedule I chain-of-custody requirements or how you would talk to a nervous participant about a federally illegal substance being administered under an IND. Prepare grounded, clinical answers.