Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between biology research assistants and research scientists 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 scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, 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 scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,800 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $24.42 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 50,666 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Biology research assistants and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $50,800 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $78,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Brunswick, NJ | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Battelle | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a biology research assistant and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between biology research assistants' and research scientists' demographics:
| Biology Research Assistant | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |