Chemistry laboratory technician vs research laboratory technician

The differences between chemistry laboratory technicians 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 chemistry laboratory technician, becoming a research laboratory technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a chemistry laboratory technician has an average salary of $40,072, which is higher than the $38,308 average annual salary of a research laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a chemistry laboratory technician include lab equipment, test results and laboratory tests. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs research laboratory technician overview

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$40,072	$38,308
Hourly rate	$19.27	$18.42
Growth rate	4%	9%
Number of jobs	43,043	86,476
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	40
Years of experience	2	4

What does a chemistry laboratory technician do?

A chemical laboratory technician is an individual who works in a designated laboratory to conduct analytical or lab-based tests on a variety of chemicals, materials, or products. Chemical laboratory technicians receive and test samples for quality assurance, safety inspection, or environmental impact. Under the supervision of chemists and other team members, they perform lab activities such as setting up lab equipment and preparing chemical solutions. Chemistry laboratory technicians can work in different industries such as pharmaceutical, mining, food, and environmental organizations.

What does a research laboratory technician do?

Research laboratory technicians play a vital role in scientific laboratories. They perform varied duties and responsibilities, which include setting up, operating, and maintaining the laboratory equipment, assisting in laboratory-based research activities such as sampling, testing, and analyzing results, and providing technical support to the laboratory team members. In addition, they are expected to support the development and advancement of science and modern medicine. Other typical duties of research laboratory technicians include preparing samples and specimens, keeping abreast with current technical developments, and ensuring strict compliance with safety procedures.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs research laboratory technician salary

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

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$40,072	$38,308
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $49,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	Maryland	Illinois
Best paying company	Zoetis	Accenture
Best paying industry	Energy	Manufacturing

Differences between chemistry laboratory technician and research laboratory technician education

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

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	Stanford University	Cornell University

Chemistry laboratory technician vs research laboratory technician demographics

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

	Chemistry Laboratory Technician	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	44	40
Gender ratio	Male, 47.7% Female, 52.3%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 9.2% White, 62.9% 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 chemistry laboratory technician and research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Chemistry laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Participate in audits by FDA and ISO.
Assist in preparing and storing laboratory experiments.-Guide students through laboratory procedure.-collect student data for HPLC, GC/MS, and NMR samples.
Skil in characterization of compounds using 1HNMR , 13CNMR, IR, GC, UV-Vis spec.
Train mill trainees on ISO procedures.
Inventory lab chemicals and MSDS sheets.
Maintain and repair FTIR and UV-Vis spectrophotometers.

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.

Chemistry laboratory technician vs research laboratory technician skills

Common chemistry laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 12%
Test Results, 7%
Laboratory Tests, 5%
Chemistry Laboratory, 4%
Safety Procedures, 4%
HPLC, 4%

Common research laboratory technician skills

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

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Chemistry Laboratory Technician
Chemistry Laboratory Technician vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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