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The differences between biology research assistants and research fellows can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a biology research assistant, becoming a research fellow takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research fellow has an average salary of $53,823, which is higher than the $50,800 average annual salary of a biology research assistant.
The top three skills for a biology research assistant include laboratory equipment, laboratory techniques and cell culture. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Fellow | |
| Yearly salary | $50,800 | $53,823 |
| Hourly rate | $24.42 | $25.88 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 50,666 | 59,746 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A biological research assistant's role is to perform support tasks for biologists and researchers. Their responsibilities typically revolve around organizing samples and research documents, updating databases, reviewing documents, summarizing results into reports and presentations, handling calls and correspondence, coordinating with external parties, and running errands. There are also instances when a biological research assistant prepare laboratories and instruments, cleaning and sanitizing them as needed. Furthermore, one can also perform experiments and analyses under the supervision or directives of a more experienced researcher.
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.
Biology research assistants and research fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Fellow | |
| Average salary | $50,800 | $53,823 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $78,000 | Between $39,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Brunswick, NJ | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Battelle | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a biology research assistant and a research fellow in terms of educational background:
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Fellow | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between biology research assistants' and research fellows' demographics:
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Fellow | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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% |