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Application scientist vs research fellow

The differences between application scientists and research fellows can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an application scientist and a research fellow. Additionally, an application scientist has an average salary of $89,939, which is higher than the $53,823 average annual salary of a research fellow.

The top three skills for an application scientist include diagnostics, technical support and sample preparation. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.

Application scientist vs research fellow overview

Application ScientistResearch Fellow
Yearly salary$89,939$53,823
Hourly rate$43.24$25.88
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs63,31459,746
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does an application scientist do?

The duties of an application scientist vary in one's place of employment. Typically, they are in charge of providing services to customers in their laboratory equipment needs. Their responsibilities revolve around liaising with clients and fellow scientists, providing technical support through appointments and meetings, discussing and explaining conditions, and even test samples in different scientific applications. Furthermore, as an application scientist, it is essential to implement the laboratory's safety policies and regulations to ensure a safe and healthy work environment for everyone.

What does a research fellow do?

A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.

Application scientist vs research fellow salary

Application scientists and research fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.

Application ScientistResearch Fellow
Average salary$89,939$53,823
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $141,000Between $39,000 And $72,000
Highest paying CityConcord, CASouth San Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaHawaii
Best paying companyAccelrysMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryManufacturingNon Profits

Differences between application scientist and research fellow education

There are a few differences between an application scientist and a research fellow in terms of educational background:

Application ScientistResearch Fellow
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 58%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Application scientist vs research fellow demographics

Here are the differences between application scientists' and research fellows' demographics:

Application ScientistResearch Fellow
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 62.9% Female, 37.1%Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 27.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between application scientist and research fellow duties and responsibilities

Application scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
  • Develop and standardize protocol for pathogen detection in food matrices using real time PCR.
  • Utilize free energy perturbation and molecular dynamics approaches to evaluate binding of proprietary camptothecins to DNA.
  • Structure-Base design and synthesis of biologically active compounds targeting SH2 domains for the treatment of osteoporosis and/or cancer.
  • Conduct technology comparison study to assess applicability of a wide range of chromatography products to support specific HTS assays.
  • Develop new product QC program significantly reducing costs and delays for experimental vaccine.
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Research fellow example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with software engineers to automate identification of 15N- and 13C- labele LC-MS features.
  • Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
  • Manage investigator initiate and cooperative group correlative studies to identify biomarkers to ascertain tumor burden and clinical outcomes in lymphoma.
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data through statistical software SAS and SPSS.
  • Conduct sampling, PCR, data analysis and oral presentations of the work
  • Implement python and C++ codes for numerical computation of transport properties in models and materials.
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Application scientist vs research fellow skills

Common application scientist skills
  • Diagnostics, 10%
  • Technical Support, 9%
  • Sample Preparation, 7%
  • Application Support, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Next-Generation Sequencing, 5%
Common research fellow skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Research Projects, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Cell Culture, 5%
  • Immunology, 4%
  • CRISPR, 4%

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