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The differences between graduate student assistants and laboratory researchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a graduate student assistant has an average salary of $37,164, which is higher than the $27,760 average annual salary of a laboratory researcher.
The top three skills for a graduate student assistant include cell culture, R and chemistry. The most important skills for a laboratory researcher are lab procedures, cell culture, and molecular biology.
| Graduate Student Assistant | Laboratory Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $37,164 | $27,760 |
| Hourly rate | $17.87 | $13.35 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 20,764 | 57,359 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Graduate student assistants are graduate students who are employed as support personnel in universities. They assist professors as teaching assistants, research assistants, or aides, depending on their assigned instructions. Their duties include assisting professors in administrative tasks, organizing undergraduate events, and conducting research as well as analyzing data. During the assistantship period, instead of wages, they are given a stipend as compensation to the service provided. This graduate assistantship gives graduate students relevant experience and more employment options in the future.
Laboratory researchers are professionals who manage a research laboratory while performing cellular and biochemical experiments with the primary researcher. These researchers must work with hazardous chemicals and should show expertise in handling lab equipment such as glassware and field equipment. They are required to assist with research projects and interpret the test data of an experiment. They must manage the order of all lab equipment by filling up the purchase requisition forms. Laboratory researchers are required to work with students in all aspects of laboratory research.
Graduate student assistants and laboratory researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Graduate Student Assistant | Laboratory Researcher | |
| Average salary | $37,164 | $27,760 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $64,000 | Between $17,000 And $43,000 |
| Highest paying City | Berkeley, CA | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | Maine |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Security LLC | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a graduate student assistant and a laboratory researcher in terms of educational background:
| Graduate Student Assistant | Laboratory Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 78% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Duke University |
Here are the differences between graduate student assistants' and laboratory researchers' demographics:
| Graduate Student Assistant | Laboratory Researcher | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1% | Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 11.9% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |