Chemical research worker vs research laboratory technician

The differences between chemical research workers and research laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a chemical research worker, becoming a research laboratory technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a chemical research worker has an average salary of $61,345, which is higher than the $38,308 average annual salary of a research laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a chemical research worker include elisa, R and GIS. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Chemical research worker vs research laboratory technician overview

	Chemical Research Worker	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$61,345	$38,308
Hourly rate	$29.49	$18.42
Growth rate	4%	9%
Number of jobs	66,892	86,476
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	40
Years of experience	2	4

Chemical research worker vs research laboratory technician salary

Chemical research workers and research laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemical Research Worker	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$61,345	$38,308
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $91,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Austin, TX	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	West Virginia	Illinois
Best paying company	VMware	Accenture
Best paying industry	Education	Manufacturing

Differences between chemical research worker and research laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a chemical research worker and a research laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Chemical Research Worker	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Cornell University

Chemical research worker vs research laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between chemical research workers' and research laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Chemical Research Worker	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	40
Gender ratio	Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 9.5% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 15.7% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	6%

Differences between chemical research worker and research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Chemical research worker example responsibilities.

Manage all aspects of HPLC method development and analysis through interpretation of data ensuring accuracy of results.
Experience in NMR, GC-MS, LC-MS, FT-IR, AAS, ICPMS instruments.
Perform RNA analysis for well-known mouse virus.
Conduct genotyping experiments on known DNA segments.
Complete AFM, TEM and UV-vis spectroscopy to analyze these nanocomposites.
Work frequently performing cell culture, HPLC, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry

Research laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage RT-PCR screening of candidate genes.
Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Use many scientific techniques to collect and analyze RNA, DNA, and specific proteins from lines of potato plants.
Preform computational molecular simulation of DNA and RNA.
Retain patients from previous research projects and update database using patient histories and correlating pertinent medical data.
Work with non human primates in an HIV testing laboratory.

Chemical research worker vs research laboratory technician skills

Common chemical research worker skills

Elisa, 24%
R, 18%
GIS, 9%
Chemistry, 8%
Database Systems, 6%
RT-PCR, 5%

Common research laboratory technician skills

Patients, 9%
Chemistry, 7%
Laboratory Equipment, 7%
Cell Culture, 5%
Research Data, 4%
Research Projects, 4%

Chemical Research Worker vs. similar jobs

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Chemical Research Worker
Chemical Research Worker vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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