Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between computational biologists and research biologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a computational biologist and a research biologist. Additionally, a research biologist has an average salary of $69,719, which is higher than the $61,449 average annual salary of a computational biologist.
The top three skills for a computational biologist include python, machine learning and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a research biologist are laboratory equipment, research projects, and molecular biology.
| Computational Biologist | Research Biologist | |
| Yearly salary | $61,449 | $69,719 |
| Hourly rate | $29.54 | $33.52 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 12,839 | 52,799 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 8 |
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.
A research biologist is a scientist who works in the outdoors, laboratories, and offices to study the natural elements so that they can better understand how living organisms work. Research biologists must design experiments for various research projects conducted under standard operating procedures and good laboratory practice guidelines. They are required to supervise lab technicians and veterinary medicine students in their respective research projects and studies. Research biologists must also provide support for clinical research protocols through laboratory procedures and protocols.
Computational biologists and research biologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Computational Biologist | Research Biologist | |
| Average salary | $61,449 | $69,719 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $99,000 | Between $50,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Juneau, AK |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Eli Lilly and Company | |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a computational biologist and a research biologist in terms of educational background:
| Computational Biologist | Research Biologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between computational biologists' and research biologists' demographics:
| Computational Biologist | Research Biologist | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1% |
| 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, 2.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 15.7% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |