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The differences between bioinformaticians 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 a bioinformatician and a research fellow. Additionally, a bioinformatician has an average salary of $71,359, which is higher than the $53,823 average annual salary of a research fellow.
The top three skills for a bioinformatician include python, data analysis and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.
| Bioinformatician | Research Fellow | |
| Yearly salary | $71,359 | $53,823 |
| Hourly rate | $34.31 | $25.88 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 16,034 | 59,746 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Bioinformaticians are experts who are responsible for developing and conducting research by using methods and software tools to collect and analyze complex biological data. By combining their research in biology, medicine, and health-related studies with information technology, these bioinformaticians are required to interpret data that covers areas such as genetics or pharmaceutics. They must develop databases to compile a large amount of information from activities such as gene expression profiling and protein expression. Bioinformaticians must also maintain laboratory documents and keep updated with scientific or medical journals.
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.
Bioinformaticians and research fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bioinformatician | Research Fellow | |
| Average salary | $71,359 | $53,823 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $127,000 | Between $39,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Branford, CT | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a bioinformatician and a research fellow in terms of educational background:
| Bioinformatician | Research Fellow | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Biostatistics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between bioinformaticians' and research fellows' demographics:
| Bioinformatician | Research Fellow | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 39.0% White, 42.2% 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 Percentage | 8% | 8% |