Chemistry laboratory assistant vs research chemist

The differences between chemistry laboratory assistants and research chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a research chemist has an average salary of $75,843, which is higher than the $30,971 average annual salary of a chemistry laboratory assistant.

The top three skills for a chemistry laboratory assistant include lab equipment, lab safety and chemistry lab. The most important skills for a research chemist are laboratory equipment, method development, and R.

Chemistry laboratory assistant vs research chemist overview

	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant	Research Chemist
Yearly salary	$30,971	$75,843
Hourly rate	$14.89	$36.46
Growth rate	4%	6%
Number of jobs	40,180	53,769
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	44	42
Years of experience	2	-

What does a chemistry laboratory assistant do?

Chemical Laboratory Assistants are professionals who help researchers and scientists in performing lab experiments and tests. Their tasks involve the maintenance, cleanliness, or sterilization of laboratory equipment or instruments. They perform physical or chemical laboratory tests assisting scientists in the quantitative or qualitative analyses of liquids, gaseous materials, and solids. The necessary skills and knowledge for this job include chemistry, lab reporting, chemical solutions, and safety procedures.

What does a research chemist do?

A research chemist specializes in conducting studies and experiments to develop new products. Their duties primarily focus on conducting research and assessments, gathering and analyzing chemical samples, developing ideas, conducting tests to study chemical reactions, maintaining records of all procedures, and utilizing previous studies. Their research findings can be used to create new medicines, enhance existing products, and lead to innovations. When it comes to employment, a research chemist may work for pharmaceutical companies, private laboratories, government agencies, and learning institutions.

Chemistry laboratory assistant vs research chemist salary

Chemistry laboratory assistants and research chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant	Research Chemist
Average salary	$30,971	$75,843
Salary range	Between $16,000 And $58,000	Between $53,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Hartford, CT	McLean, VA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Virginia
Best paying company	Pace University	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	Education	Energy

Differences between chemistry laboratory assistant and research chemist education

There are a few differences between a chemistry laboratory assistant and a research chemist in terms of educational background:

	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant	Research Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Stanford University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chemistry laboratory assistant vs research chemist demographics

Here are the differences between chemistry laboratory assistants' and research chemists' demographics:

	Chemistry Laboratory Assistant	Research Chemist
Average age	44	42
Gender ratio	Male, 45.5% Female, 54.5%	Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 22.2% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	9%	5%

Differences between chemistry laboratory assistant and research chemist duties and responsibilities

Chemistry laboratory assistant example responsibilities.

Comfort frighten patients and maintain an exceptionally bright professional demeanor to accomplish a procedure that makes most people very uncomfortable.
Prepare buffer solutions, separate DNA, dissect baby mice, and perform general lab procedures.
Facilitate placement and organization of equipment for new laboratory including HPLC, GC-MS, UV-VIS, and DSC.
Maintain GC/FID, GC/MS and LC/MS systems.
Purify total RNA out of scallop muscle tissue.
Maintain proper records and documentation of DNA sequencing products.

Research chemist example responsibilities.

Manage the CDS and LIMS systems for the institute.
Manage and record experimental data with lab management software (LIMS).
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Characterize the particles using SEM, DSC, IR, and UV-Vis.
Identify sample structure using microscopy, crystallography, NMR, UV/VIS, GC and AAS.
Develop GC & FTIR instrumental methods of analysis to support quality of incoming raw materials to ensure quality of finish products.

Chemistry laboratory assistant vs research chemist skills

Common chemistry laboratory assistant skills

Lab Equipment, 39%
Lab Safety, 13%
Chemistry Lab, 6%
Lab Experiments, 4%
Lab Reports, 3%
Analytical Chemistry, 2%

Common research chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Method Development, 10%
R, 9%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Chemistry, 5%
Polymer, 5%

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Chemistry Laboratory Assistant
Chemistry Laboratory Assistant vs Research Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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