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The differences between computational biologists and research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a computational biologist, becoming a research assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a computational biologist has an average salary of $61,449, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a research assistant.
The top three skills for a computational biologist include python, machine learning and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a research assistant are patients, lab equipment, and data collection.
| Computational Biologist | Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $61,449 | $42,896 |
| Hourly rate | $29.54 | $20.62 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 12,839 | 51,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
A computational biologist is an expert in computational management, high-performance computing, data algorithm, and biological and statistical processes. You study to understand biological systems using computational theoretical principles. Your duties typically include doing research and computer programming, developing a theory, mathematical models, and computer simulations to organize and analyze your findings, and building databases. To become a successful computational biologist, you must have extensive knowledge of bioinformatics, biochemistry, and computational biology, excellent communication skills, and problem-solving skills.
Research assistants give support to researchers or other professionals who need assistance as they conduct experiments, studies, or other research projects. Research assistants help in conducting experiments, surveys, or interviews under the supervision of the primary researcher. They also work on research activities such as literature reviews, collect data, assist in interpreting results, prepare designs or visuals for the presentation of the results, and even ensure that all the tools and documentation related to the study are properly organized. They also assist in fact-checking the output and ensure that the data presented are accurate. Research assistants usually possess an academic background that is related to the main research topic.
Computational biologists and research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Computational Biologist | Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $61,449 | $42,896 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $99,000 | Between $28,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a computational biologist and a research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Computational Biologist | Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Biology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between computational biologists' and research assistants' demographics:
| Computational Biologist | Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 17.0% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |