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Contract scientist vs research fellow

The differences between contract scientists and research fellows can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a contract scientist and a research fellow. Additionally, a contract scientist has an average salary of $98,484, which is higher than the $53,823 average annual salary of a research fellow.

The top three skills for a contract scientist include technical reports, HPLC and chemistry. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.

Contract scientist vs research fellow overview

Contract ScientistResearch Fellow
Yearly salary$98,484$53,823
Hourly rate$47.35$25.88
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs51,77159,746
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

Contract scientist vs research fellow salary

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

Contract ScientistResearch Fellow
Average salary$98,484$53,823
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $141,000Between $39,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City-South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-McKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between contract scientist and research fellow education

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

Contract ScientistResearch Fellow
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorBiologyChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Contract scientist vs research fellow demographics

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

Contract ScientistResearch Fellow
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 55.1% Female, 44.9%Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.2% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 27.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between contract scientist and research fellow duties and responsibilities

Contract scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage data of project samples through LIMS software.
  • Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
  • Present chemistry of current and future targets at team meetings.
  • Coordinate internal blood draws to harvest serum and plasma for future testing.
  • Authenticate structure and purity of compounds by NMR, LCMS, HPLC, and CHN.
  • Complete a proprietary research project in photo-electric chemistry.
  • Show more

Research fellow example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with software engineers to automate identification of 15N- and 13C- labele LC-MS features.
  • Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
  • Manage investigator initiate and cooperative group correlative studies to identify biomarkers to ascertain tumor burden and clinical outcomes in lymphoma.
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data through statistical software SAS and SPSS.
  • Conduct sampling, PCR, data analysis and oral presentations of the work
  • Implement python and C++ codes for numerical computation of transport properties in models and materials.
  • Show more

Contract scientist vs research fellow skills

Common contract scientist skills
  • Technical Reports, 12%
  • HPLC, 8%
  • Chemistry, 8%
  • Data Analysis, 8%
  • Analytical Methods, 8%
  • Western Blotting, 6%
Common research fellow skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Research Projects, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Cell Culture, 5%
  • Immunology, 4%
  • CRISPR, 4%

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