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What does an assistant research scientist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Betsy Smith
What does an assistant research scientist do

An Assistant Research Scientist assists in planning, conducting, and analyzing various research projects. They also order and manage lab inventory, materials, and equipment.

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Assistant research scientist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real assistant research scientist resumes:

  • Lead a group of four employees in optimizing DNA purification technologies for production DNA sequencing.
  • Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
  • Experience in SAS programming in biomedical research.
  • Prepare salivary samples for Cortisol ELISA assays.
  • Gather and code quantitative and qualitative data using SPSS and Atlas.ti.
  • Standardize assays to elucidate the mechanism of action of lead molecules.
  • Contribute to and edit manuscripts for publication, conduct data entry and analysis using SPSS.
  • Perform organic synthesis, express proteins, gather and analyze data, and teach research methods.
  • Maintain detailed notes of all the performed synthesis and of any changes in the protocol for discussion with peers and mentor
  • Establish proposals including $1.6 million NSF funding for Arabidopsis project grant to Dr. Lewis lab in IBC at WSU.
  • Participate in journal club and literature meetings.
  • Conduct internet and library-base ecological and environmental chemistry research.
  • Conduct organic chemistry research studying chlorination and oxidation reactions.
  • Assemble materials from specialize literature, interviews and government documents
  • Develop high throughput DNA template purification robot with partner company GeneMachines.

Assistant research scientist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Assistant Research Scientists are proficient in Research Projects, Data Collection, and Data Analysis.

We break down the percentage of Assistant Research Scientists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Research Projects, 8%

    Audited commercial performance of government funded research projects and policy tools.

  • Data Collection, 7%

    Prepared for data collection, administered surveys and interviewed subjects in Fiji prior to data analysis.

  • Data Analysis, 6%

    Managed and trained research assistants on elements of experimental design, data analysis, and presentation.

  • Lab Equipment, 4%

    Utilized all lab equipment including microscopes, dissection tools, and sophisticated computer software.

  • Cell Culture, 4%

    Assisted a graduate student with general lab techniques-gels, cell culture, and western blots.

  • Chemistry, 4%

    Conducted internet and library-based ecological and environmental chemistry research.

Most assistant research scientists use their skills in "research projects," "data collection," and "data analysis" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential assistant research scientist responsibilities here:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an assistant research scientist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what assistant research scientists do because "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." Additionally, an assistant research scientist resume shows how assistant research scientists use communication skills: "coordinated communication between research staff and pi and nurtured working relationships with pharmaceutical supporters of research. "

Observation skills. Many assistant research scientist duties rely on observation skills. "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data.," so an assistant research scientist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways assistant research scientist responsibilities rely on observation skills: "operated laboratory equipment and developed computer modeling of the theory to compare with experimental observations. "

Most common assistant research scientist skills

Choose from 10+ customizable assistant research scientist resume templates

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Compare different assistant research scientists

Assistant research scientist vs. Research and development assistant

A research and development assistant is responsible for supporting the research team in collecting studies and information to support research claims and evaluate data materials. Research and development assistants interview participants, conduct data and statistical analysis, and interpret survey results. They ensure to document all findings and research progress and report any concerns to the research supervisor for immediate resolution. A research and development assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in participating in brainstorming sessions and finalize research subjects as required.

The annual salary of research and development assistants is $377 higher than the average salary of assistant research scientists.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both assistant research scientist and research and development assistant positions are skilled in research projects, data collection, and data analysis.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, assistant research scientist responsibilities require skills like "cell culture," "chemistry," "experimental design," and "pi." Meanwhile a typical research and development assistant has skills in areas such as "data entry," "assist r," "java," and "access database." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Research and development assistants tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $71,587. In contrast, assistant research scientists make the biggest average salary, $71,080, in the education industry.On average, research and development assistants reach similar levels of education than assistant research scientists. Research and development assistants are 1.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 13.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant research scientist vs. Research assistant

Research assistants give support to researchers or other professionals who need assistance as they conduct experiments, studies, or other research projects. Research assistants help in conducting experiments, surveys, or interviews under the supervision of the primary researcher. They also work on research activities such as literature reviews, collect data, assist in interpreting results, prepare designs or visuals for the presentation of the results, and even ensure that all the tools and documentation related to the study are properly organized. They also assist in fact-checking the output and ensure that the data presented are accurate. Research assistants usually possess an academic background that is related to the main research topic.

A career as a research assistant brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an assistant research scientist. In fact, research assistants salary is $19,884 lower than the salary of assistant research scientists per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both assistant research scientists and research assistants have skills such as "research projects," "data collection," and "data analysis. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that assistant research scientist responsibilities requires skills like "extraction," "sample preparation," "scientific papers," and "method development." But a research assistant might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "research data," "research study," and "data management."

Research assistants may earn a lower salary than assistant research scientists, but research assistants earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $46,279. On the other hand, assistant research scientists receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $71,080.In general, research assistants achieve similar levels of education than assistant research scientists. They're 1.6% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 13.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for assistant research scientists in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Betsy SmithDr. Betsy Smith LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

Honestly, I think anytime a scientist tries to predict what will be "big" in a few years, they're likely to fail. That said, I think there's a growing interest among consumers for more "green" products, so research into those areas will likely grow. For instance, we might see attempts to develop new plastics that are safer for the environment and humans, perhaps biodegradable. Organic chemistry traditionally uses harsh solvents and chemicals that are difficult to dispose of safely, so there is an effort to find alternatives to these. Analytical chemistry techniques for separating and identifying compounds, like GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), will likely continue to be necessary. CRISPR, the relatively new gene-editing technology, is likely to become even more widely used on the biochemistry side of things.

Assistant research scientist vs. Research assistant professor

A research assistant professor works part-time at colleges or universities where they focus on conducting research and extensive studies. They typically work under the supervision and directives of a professor and perform support tasks such as gathering and analyzing samples through different scientific procedures, completing interviews and surveys, performing experiments and assessments, maintaining records, and handling calls and other forms of correspondence. Additionally, a research assistant professor may also teach undergraduates and participate in preparing activities and curriculum materials.

An average research assistant professor eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of assistant research scientists. The difference in salaries amounts to research assistant professors earning a $10,675 higher average salary than assistant research scientists.By looking over several assistant research scientists and research assistant professors resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "research projects," "data collection," and "data analysis." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an assistant research scientist is likely to be skilled in "lab equipment," "laboratory equipment," "experimental design," and "extraction," while a typical research assistant professor is skilled in "biomedical," "research program," "independent research," and "public health."

Research assistant professors earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $81,699. Assistant research scientists earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $71,080.research assistant professors typically earn similar educational levels compared to assistant research scientists. Specifically, they're 3.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 28.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Assistant research scientist vs. Research fellow

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.

Research fellows average a lower salary than the annual salary of assistant research scientists. The difference is about $8,957 per year.While both assistant research scientists and research fellows complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like research projects, data collection, and data analysis, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "lab equipment," "laboratory equipment," "extraction," and "analyze data" are skills that commonly show up on assistant research scientist resumes. On the other hand, research fellows use skills like patients, immunology, cell biology, and rna on their resumes.The non profits industry tends to pay the highest salaries for research fellows, with average annual pay of $57,261. Comparatively, the highest assistant research scientist annual salary comes from the education industry.The average resume of research fellows showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to assistant research scientists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 16.7%.

Types of assistant research scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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