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The differences between electrical research engineers and instrumentation engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an electrical research engineer and an instrumentation engineer. Additionally, an instrumentation engineer has an average salary of $88,783, which is higher than the $85,767 average annual salary of an electrical research engineer.
The top three skills for an electrical research engineer include C++, electrical systems and MATLAB. The most important skills for an instrumentation engineer are PLC, autocad, and analyzers.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $85,767 | $88,783 |
| Hourly rate | $41.23 | $42.68 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 76,225 | 45,735 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The electrical research engineers are responsible for conducting research, designing and developing new and innovative electrical products or systems, and evaluate them to improve existing technical processes. They have strong analytical and critical thinking skills and professional competency to perform intensive research and collaborate on standards for procedures, and design testing methods to identify problems and solutions. Being an electrical research engineer is essential to a company since the job involves innovation and development processes.
An instrumentation engineer specializes in designing and developing equipment to optimize business processes. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify the needs of a company, coordinating with different departments to gather data, devising strategies to create new processes, and preparing reports and presentations for the executives. An instrumentation engineer mostly performs installations and repairs; they also conduct regular maintenance to ensure the efficiency of facilities. Furthermore, they must answer inquiries and resolve issues and concerns, all in adherence to the company's policies and regulations.
Electrical research engineers and instrumentation engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Electrical Research Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Average salary | $85,767 | $88,783 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $112,000 | Between $65,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redmond, WA | Cupertino, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Government |
There are a few differences between an electrical research engineer and an instrumentation engineer in terms of educational background:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between electrical research engineers' and instrumentation engineers' demographics:
| Electrical Research Engineer | Instrumentation Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 21.4% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 63.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |