Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between asbestos microscopists and research technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an asbestos microscopist, becoming a research technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an asbestos microscopist has an average salary of $57,182, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.
The top three skills for an asbestos microscopist include PLM, TEM and electron microscope. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.
| Asbestos Microscopist | Research Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $57,182 | $43,034 |
| Hourly rate | $27.49 | $20.69 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 249 | 64,786 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
Asbestos microscopists prepare and analyze materials for asbestos fibers. These professionals complete material analyses correctly and give updates about the results. They perform data entry precisely and efficiently and maintain and calibrate microscopes to improve their accuracy. Also, Asbestos microscopists attend scheduled training seminars and departmental meetings. Other duties performed by Asbestos microscopists include maintaining professional attendance for scheduled shifts and accurately identifying challenging samples. Moreover, Asbestos microscopists establish and maintain excellent relationships with other staff members.
A research technician is responsible for assisting in research studies and laboratory experiments. Research technicians operate laboratory tools and equipment, process data for experiments, collect samples for study, analyze existing research materials, analyze experiment results, manage inventories and stock supplies, record observations, and create reports for further examination. A research technician must have strong analytical and scientific knowledge, as well as a passion for research writing and investigations crucial for this kind of industry.
Asbestos microscopists and research technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Asbestos Microscopist | Research Technician | |
| Average salary | $57,182 | $43,034 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $98,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Pasadena, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | - | GCP Applied Technologies |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an asbestos microscopist and a research technician in terms of educational background:
| Asbestos Microscopist | Research Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between asbestos microscopists' and research technicians' demographics:
| Asbestos Microscopist | Research Technician | |
| Average age | 39 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% | Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 81.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 6% |