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Development geologist vs research geologist

The differences between development geologists and research geologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a development geologist and a research geologist. Additionally, a research geologist has an average salary of $116,391, which is higher than the $110,970 average annual salary of a development geologist.

The top three skills for a development geologist include reservoir characterization, AFE and production data. The most important skills for a research geologist are GIS, geological survey, and R.

Development geologist vs research geologist overview

Development GeologistResearch Geologist
Yearly salary$110,970$116,391
Hourly rate$53.35$55.96
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs45,84445,501
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Development geologist vs research geologist salary

Development geologists and research geologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Development GeologistResearch Geologist
Average salary$110,970$116,391
Salary rangeBetween $71,000 And $171,000Between $81,000 And $166,000
Highest paying CityThe Woodlands, TXMidland, TX
Highest paying stateTexasTexas
Best paying companyChevronExxon Mobil
Best paying industryHospitality-

Differences between development geologist and research geologist education

There are a few differences between a development geologist and a research geologist in terms of educational background:

Development GeologistResearch Geologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 73%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorGeologyGeology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Development geologist vs research geologist demographics

Here are the differences between development geologists' and research geologists' demographics:

Development GeologistResearch Geologist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 81.4% Female, 18.6%Male, 77.9% Female, 22.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.6% Asian, 4.0% White, 83.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 0.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 5.6% White, 81.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between development geologist and research geologist duties and responsibilities

Development geologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage the field budget, and liability of MWD field equipment.
  • Manage the installation of geophones, tiltmeters, inclinometers, passive vent wells, gas caps, and ORWs.
  • Create mineral rights lease maps utilizing ArcMap (GIS).
  • Correlate well logs using PETRA and other programs, and research production zones for solid and fluid minerals.
  • Prospect generation and development has been expedite by becoming proficient in Petra mapping software.
  • Review farm-out requests, prepare well prognoses, monitor area-drilling activity, and conduct miscellaneous well-site activities in Texas and Oklahoma.
  • Show more

Research geologist example responsibilities.

  • Foster cross laboratory collaboration between physics labs and between engineering, biology, and chemistry departments to accomplish share goals.
  • Synthesize and characterize colloidal room-temperature ferromagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles.
  • Conduct research by administering quantitative and qualitative surveys to low income fathers and entering and analyzing the data using SPSS

Development geologist vs research geologist skills

Common development geologist skills
  • Reservoir Characterization, 22%
  • AFE, 7%
  • Production Data, 6%
  • Well Log, 6%
  • Petrel, 6%
  • Log Analysis, 6%
Common research geologist skills
  • GIS, 40%
  • Geological Survey, 18%
  • R, 15%
  • Geological Data, 12%
  • Research Projects, 8%
  • Sedimentology, 8%

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