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Doctoral research assistant vs assistant research scientist

The differences between doctoral research assistants and assistant research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a doctoral research assistant and an assistant research scientist. Additionally, an assistant research scientist has an average salary of $62,780, which is higher than the $56,458 average annual salary of a doctoral research assistant.

The top three skills for a doctoral research assistant include data collection, research projects and PI. The most important skills for an assistant research scientist are research projects, data collection, and data analysis.

Doctoral research assistant vs assistant research scientist overview

Doctoral Research AssistantAssistant Research Scientist
Yearly salary$56,458$62,780
Hourly rate$27.14$30.18
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs53,09188,786
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age3838
Years of experience22

Doctoral research assistant vs assistant research scientist salary

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

Doctoral Research AssistantAssistant Research Scientist
Average salary$56,458$62,780
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $77,000Between $43,000 And $89,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateMassachusettsMassachusetts
Best paying companyOak Ridge National LaboratoryUniversity of California
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between doctoral research assistant and assistant research scientist education

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

Doctoral Research AssistantAssistant Research Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 56%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorChemistryBiology
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Doctoral research assistant vs assistant research scientist demographics

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

Doctoral Research AssistantAssistant Research Scientist
Average age3838
Gender ratioMale, 53.1% Female, 46.9%Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 16.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%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 doctoral research assistant and assistant research scientist duties and responsibilities

Doctoral research assistant example responsibilities.

  • Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
  • Receive additional training in SAS.
  • Used electronic and structure evaluations using quantum chemistry packages such as GAUSSIAN.
  • Prepare and implement unique proposals for the synthesis of polymer and small molecule targets.
  • Discover novel mechanical functions for collagen and short DNA molecules in response to force.
  • Develop the use of FPLC for detection and characterization of large DNA structural motifs.
  • Show more

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

Doctoral research assistant vs assistant research scientist skills

Common doctoral research assistant skills
  • Data Collection, 12%
  • Research Projects, 11%
  • PI, 9%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Molecular Biology, 5%
  • Cell Culture, 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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