Research gimp

Research gimp is an informal term, sometimes used ruefully and sometimes insultingly, for a member of research personnel at an academic institution, such as a research assistant or research student. The term reflects the unequal relationship between contracted researchers and tenured or more senior staff, since a gimp is a person of little or no status.

Used self-referentially, the term ironically captures a researcher's perceived low status within the academic hierarchy. At least in the UK, this self-effacement also reflects what some researchers see as an unfair gap between the rights and contractual status of teaching and research personnel.