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Biotechnologist vs research technician

The differences between biotechnologists and research technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a biotechnologist and a research technician. Additionally, a biotechnologist has an average salary of $54,160, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.

The top three skills for a biotechnologist include R, GMP and DNA. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.

Biotechnologist vs research technician overview

BiotechnologistResearch Technician
Yearly salary$54,160$43,034
Hourly rate$26.04$20.69
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs10,86264,786
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4040
Years of experience44

Biotechnologist vs research technician salary

Biotechnologists and research technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

BiotechnologistResearch Technician
Average salary$54,160$43,034
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $80,000Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CitySilver Spring, MDPasadena, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutConnecticut
Best paying companyAbbVieGCP Applied Technologies
Best paying industry-Manufacturing

Differences between biotechnologist and research technician education

There are a few differences between a biotechnologist and a research technician in terms of educational background:

BiotechnologistResearch Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeJohns Hopkins UniversityCornell University

Biotechnologist vs research technician demographics

Here are the differences between biotechnologists' and research technicians' demographics:

BiotechnologistResearch Technician
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 55.1% Female, 44.9%Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 13.5% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%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 Percentage6%6%

Differences between biotechnologist and research technician duties and responsibilities

Biotechnologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage laboratories and perform clinical research in diabetic and thyroid disease states.
  • Perform standard PCR assays for research group.
  • Purify enzymes using gravity, low pressure liquid chromatography, and AKTA FPLC.
  • Participate in semi-annual proficiency testing for forensic casework (CTS) and proficiency testing for engraftment monitoring (ASHI).
  • Quantify the final product form using solvent extraction and normal phase HPLC.
  • Maintain documentation and batch records in accordance with ISO and CE-IVD regulations.
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Research technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage a DNA database and work with researchers to retrieve or send out samples and results.
  • Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
  • Prepare reagents for use in processing samples, DNA and RNA extractions, and QC.
  • Investigate and validate various acute phase protein assays as OA biomarkers in rodent animal models.
  • Perform DNA extraction and analysis for the purpose of identifying bacterial strand for waste stream characterization.
  • Extend course knowledge of CRISPR to experiment.
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Biotechnologist vs research technician skills

Common biotechnologist skills
  • R, 23%
  • GMP, 13%
  • DNA, 13%
  • PCR, 12%
  • Assays, 10%
  • Extraction, 10%
Common research technician skills
  • Patients, 9%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Cell Culture, 5%
  • Laboratory Equipment, 5%
  • Research Projects, 4%
  • Lab Equipment, 3%

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