Environmental laboratory technician vs professional research assistant

The differences between environmental laboratory technicians and professional research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an environmental laboratory technician and a professional research assistant. Additionally, a professional research assistant has an average salary of $58,202, which is higher than the $40,682 average annual salary of an environmental laboratory technician.

The top three skills for an environmental laboratory technician include lab equipment, water samples and sops. The most important skills for a professional research assistant are research projects, data collection, and patients.

Environmental laboratory technician vs professional research assistant overview

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Professional Research Assistant
Yearly salary	$40,682	$58,202
Hourly rate	$19.56	$27.98
Growth rate	9%	19%
Number of jobs	58,055	91,813
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

What does an environmental laboratory technician do?

Environmental laboratory technicians are professionals who are responsible for testing all contaminants that may affect the environment and the health of both humans and wildlife. These technicians are required to prepare and test samples such as gases, soils, water, and industrial wastewater to determine the level of pollutants or identify the sources of contamination. They must discuss and report the summary of the data from test results with supervisors and customers. Environmental laboratory technicians must also design monitoring programs and set up equipment when working in the field.

What does a professional research assistant do?

A professional research assistant works under the supervision of primary researchers leading research projects. Research assistants help the main researchers in different tasks supporting research activities. These tasks vary based on research conducted and their field. The assistants prepare the interview questions and provide a results summary. They respond to emails, participate in project meetings, and prepare progress reports. Skills necessary for this job include communication skills, critical thinking, attention to detail, scheduling, and planning.

Environmental laboratory technician vs professional research assistant salary

Environmental laboratory technicians and professional research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Professional Research Assistant
Average salary	$40,682	$58,202
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $56,000	Between $38,000 And $88,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Siemens
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between environmental laboratory technician and professional research assistant education

There are a few differences between an environmental laboratory technician and a professional research assistant in terms of educational background:

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Professional Research Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	Harvard University

Environmental laboratory technician vs professional research assistant demographics

Here are the differences between environmental laboratory technicians' and professional research assistants' demographics:

	Environmental Laboratory Technician	Professional Research Assistant
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1%	Male, 36.1% Female, 63.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between environmental laboratory technician and professional research assistant duties and responsibilities

Environmental laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
Support short and long term projects meeting establish deadlines such as the upcoming revisions to the USP heavy metals testing.
Initiate and maintain paperwork in accordance with FDA guidelines and perform investigations for any deviant results.
Perform internal audits of laboratories in accordance with current standard operating procedure of good laboratory practices and FDA regulations.
Assist HAZWOPER technicians with logistical support for operations on project operations including research of facilities and vendors need for project completion.
Monitor temperature and pressure of production distillation towers

Professional research assistant example responsibilities.

Manage database of consent patients encompassing patient demographics and samples collect ensuring HIPAA standards are adhere to.
Perform extraction of rodent RNA and hybridization onto gene expression arrays.
Analyze RNA and protein samples.
Experience working with CRISPR technology.
Provide technical support for an immunology lab course.
Perform PBMC isolation, HbA1C assays, glucose analysis and DNA extraction on whole blood samples.

Environmental laboratory technician vs professional research assistant skills

Common environmental laboratory technician skills

Lab Equipment, 9%
Water Samples, 8%
Sops, 6%
Environmental Samples, 6%
Test Equipment, 5%
Environmental Lab, 4%

Common professional research assistant skills

Research Projects, 10%
Data Collection, 6%
Patients, 5%
Cell Culture, 4%
Professional Research, 4%
PI, 3%

Environmental Laboratory Technician vs. similar jobs

Environmental Laboratory Technician related careers

Environmental Laboratory Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Environmental Laboratory Technician
Environmental Laboratory Technician vs Professional Research Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs