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Contract research scientist vs assistant research scientist

The differences between contract research scientists and assistant research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a contract research scientist, becoming an assistant research scientist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a contract research scientist has an average salary of $90,721, which is higher than the $62,780 average annual salary of an assistant research scientist.

The top three skills for a contract research scientist include analytical techniques, R and HPLC. The most important skills for an assistant research scientist are research projects, data collection, and data analysis.

Contract research scientist vs assistant research scientist overview

Contract Research ScientistAssistant Research Scientist
Yearly salary$90,721$62,780
Hourly rate$43.62$30.18
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs93,12488,786
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4138
Years of experience42

Contract research scientist vs assistant research scientist salary

Contract research scientists and assistant research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Contract Research ScientistAssistant Research Scientist
Average salary$90,721$62,780
Salary rangeBetween $61,000 And $132,000Between $43,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-Massachusetts
Best paying company-University of California
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between contract research scientist and assistant research scientist education

There are a few differences between a contract research scientist and an assistant research scientist in terms of educational background:

Contract Research ScientistAssistant Research Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorBiologyBiology
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaHarvard University

Contract research scientist vs assistant research scientist demographics

Here are the differences between contract research scientists' and assistant research scientists' demographics:

Contract Research ScientistAssistant Research Scientist
Average age4138
Gender ratioMale, 47.2% Female, 52.8%Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 16.7% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between contract research scientist and assistant research scientist duties and responsibilities

Contract research scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
  • Test 50 breast expanders and submit results for FDA 5-10k approval.
  • Perform solution and standard prep, Agilent HPLC impurities identification, dissolution assay using VanKel (USP App.
  • Develop, validate and implement robust methods for pharmacokinetic, immunogenicity (ADA) and immunodepletion ELISAs, and cell based-bioassays.
  • Interpret metabolism data and review reports to support strategies forward thinking with a specialization in drug metabolism and metabolic enzymes.

Assistant research scientist example responsibilities.

  • Lead a group of four employees in optimizing DNA purification technologies for production DNA sequencing.
  • Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
  • Experience in SAS programming in biomedical research.
  • Prepare salivary samples for Cortisol ELISA assays.
  • Gather and code quantitative and qualitative data using SPSS and Atlas.ti.
  • Standardize assays to elucidate the mechanism of action of lead molecules.
  • Show more

Contract research scientist vs assistant research scientist skills

Common contract research scientist skills
  • Analytical Techniques, 24%
  • R, 22%
  • HPLC, 15%
  • Analytical Support, 14%
  • Harvest, 13%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
Common assistant research scientist skills
  • Research Projects, 8%
  • Data Collection, 7%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Lab Equipment, 4%
  • Cell Culture, 4%
  • Chemistry, 4%

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