Clinical laboratory manager vs senior research associate

The differences between clinical laboratory managers and senior research associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a clinical laboratory manager, becoming a senior research associate takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical laboratory manager has an average salary of $79,359, which is higher than the $72,618 average annual salary of a senior research associate.

The top three skills for a clinical laboratory manager include CLIA, patients and test results. The most important skills for a senior research associate are patients, data analysis, and CRISPR.

Clinical laboratory manager vs senior research associate overview

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Senior Research Associate
Yearly salary	$79,359	$72,618
Hourly rate	$38.15	$34.91
Growth rate	28%	6%
Number of jobs	96,325	58,903
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	47	44
Years of experience	6	2

What does a clinical laboratory manager do?

A clinical laboratory manager supervises the work of laboratory technicians and scientists. Clinical laboratory managers develop safety policies of laboratories in line with the international accreditation standards. They oversee administrative and budgetary responsibilities. It is their responsibility to purchase laboratory supplies or prepare ordering lists. They ensure that the employees follow the standards and regulations set by the industry. The managers need to develop include knowledge in solving technical problems, time management, and maintain technical equipment.

What does a senior research associate do?

A Senior Research Associate works closely with research team members to implement research ideas. They diagnose, solve system/software problems, and install application software according to research needs.

Clinical laboratory manager vs senior research associate salary

Clinical laboratory managers and senior research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Senior Research Associate
Average salary	$79,359	$72,618
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $114,000	Between $51,000 And $102,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Agilent Technologies	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Health Care	Government

Differences between clinical laboratory manager and senior research associate education

There are a few differences between a clinical laboratory manager and a senior research associate in terms of educational background:

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Senior Research Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Biology
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Stanford University

Clinical laboratory manager vs senior research associate demographics

Here are the differences between clinical laboratory managers' and senior research associates' demographics:

	Clinical Laboratory Manager	Senior Research Associate
Average age	47	44
Gender ratio	Male, 42.5% Female, 57.5%	Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 13.4% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	9%

Differences between clinical laboratory manager and senior research associate duties and responsibilities

Clinical laboratory manager example responsibilities.

Lead and guide in developing quality improvement programs to continue delivering high quality services to physician and patients.
Set up forensic DNA laboratory, train laboratory technicians in advance molecular techniques, and manage day-to-day activities of forensic DNA laboratory
Maintain LIS software updates for CPT procedure codes and ICD-9 coding.
Integrate an LIS system into the laboratory environment.
Facilitate testing of clinical trial samples in the CLIA lab for test waiting FDA clearance.
Set up auto-calculations for calculate results) and a patient means program as an additional QC.

Senior research associate example responsibilities.

Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Develop, implement and optimize HPLC and ELISA assays in support of cell line and process development.
Provide purification service with rp-LCMS, np- HPLC, and MPLC, as well QC data including UPLC-MS and NMR.
Engineer and design a unique CRISPR cloning system for the group.
Apply the CRISPR technology to conduct gene editing in human IPSCs.
Develop an identity ELISA assay to detect the presence of competing and irrelevant drug products in manufacturing process.

Clinical laboratory manager vs senior research associate skills

Common clinical laboratory manager skills

CLIA, 10%
Patients, 9%
Test Results, 8%
Hematology, 7%
Microbiology, 7%
Customer Service, 6%

Common senior research associate skills

Patients, 9%
Data Analysis, 6%
CRISPR, 6%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Cell Culture, 5%
Flow Cytometry, 4%

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Clinical Laboratory Manager
Clinical Laboratory Manager vs Senior Research Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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