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Cell technician vs research technician

The differences between cell technicians 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 cell technician and a research technician. Additionally, a cell technician has an average salary of $51,227, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.

The top three skills for a cell technician include harvest, CIP and cell culture. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.

Cell technician vs research technician overview

Cell TechnicianResearch Technician
Yearly salary$51,227$43,034
Hourly rate$24.63$20.69
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs18,72964,786
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4040
Years of experience44

What does a cell technician do?

Cell tower technicians are responsible for maintaining cell phone towers and keeping them in good working condition. They make sure that cell phones are receiving signals all the time without any lag or problem and that customers always have full bars. Their duties include repairing and restoring old materials and equipment, assessing functionality, building, returning, and setting up new towers, as well as consistent servicing and maintenance. Technician applicants are required to have a degree in electronics telecommunications and undergo job and safety training.

What does a research technician do?

A research technician is responsible for assisting in research studies and laboratory experiments. Research technicians operate laboratory tools and equipment, process data for experiments, collect samples for study, analyze existing research materials, analyze experiment results, manage inventories and stock supplies, record observations, and create reports for further examination. A research technician must have strong analytical and scientific knowledge, as well as a passion for research writing and investigations crucial for this kind of industry.

Cell technician vs research technician salary

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

Cell TechnicianResearch Technician
Average salary$51,227$43,034
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $79,000Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying CityFremont, CAPasadena, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutConnecticut
Best paying companyGeneral MotorsGCP Applied Technologies
Best paying industryFinanceManufacturing

Differences between cell technician and research technician education

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

Cell TechnicianResearch Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBiology
Most common collegeDuke UniversityCornell University

Cell technician vs research technician demographics

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

Cell TechnicianResearch Technician
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 76.3% Female, 23.7%Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 52.7% 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 cell technician and research technician duties and responsibilities

Cell technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead initiatives to migrate customers to VPN and remote access systems.
  • Install, maintain, repair and service PC's, servers, POS systems.
  • Maintain all base stations, transmitter equipment (GSM, UMTS, DAS, & LTE).
  • Remove and replace boost pumps, check valves, plumbing, and braces.
  • Install, troubleshoot, and configure PC, printers, routers., network LAN devices
  • Assure system performance and integrity by performing sweep testing, PIM tests, DC power system configuration, grounding
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Cell technician vs research technician skills

Common cell technician skills
  • Harvest, 13%
  • CIP, 12%
  • Cell Culture, 12%
  • Continuous Improvement, 11%
  • Transmitters, 9%
  • Perform Routine Maintenance, 7%
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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