Junior research fellow vs research technician

The differences between junior research fellows and research technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a junior research fellow and a research technician. Additionally, a junior research fellow has an average salary of $64,677, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.

The top three skills for a junior research fellow include cell culture, R and molecular techniques. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.

Junior research fellow vs research technician overview

	Junior Research Fellow	Research Technician
Yearly salary	$64,677	$43,034
Hourly rate	$31.09	$20.69
Growth rate	17%	9%
Number of jobs	61,504	64,786
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	4	4

Junior research fellow vs research technician salary

Junior research fellows and research technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Junior Research Fellow	Research Technician
Average salary	$64,677	$43,034
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $90,000	Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	Pasadena, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	Colfax Corporation	GCP Applied Technologies
Best paying industry	Professional	Manufacturing

Differences between junior research fellow and research technician education

There are a few differences between a junior research fellow and a research technician in terms of educational background:

	Junior Research Fellow	Research Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	University of Southern California	Cornell University

Junior research fellow vs research technician demographics

Here are the differences between junior research fellows' and research technicians' demographics:

	Junior Research Fellow	Research Technician
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 37.3% White, 43.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between junior research fellow and research technician duties and responsibilities

Junior research fellow example responsibilities.

Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
Work on synthesis of D-Serine from N-Acetyl-D-glucose using microorganisms, immobilize enzymes, and microbial cells in the key steps.
Estimate cytokines levels in human patient samples using ELISA methodology.
Assist in routine analysis using radio immuno assays such as ELISA.
Involve in the multi-step synthesis of bio-active natural products and also involve in the development of novel synthetic methodologies.
Construct a preliminary testing platform for a collaborative $3MM NSF grant between biology and electrical engineering exploring molecular communication theory.

Research technician example responsibilities.

Manage a DNA database and work with researchers to retrieve or send out samples and results.
Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Prepare reagents for use in processing samples, DNA and RNA extractions, and QC.
Investigate and validate various acute phase protein assays as OA biomarkers in rodent animal models.
Perform DNA extraction and analysis for the purpose of identifying bacterial strand for waste stream characterization.
Extend course knowledge of CRISPR to experiment.

Junior research fellow vs research technician skills

Common junior research fellow skills

Cell Culture, 8%
R, 7%
Molecular Techniques, 7%
Molecular Biology, 6%
Chemistry, 6%
Research Projects, 5%

Common research technician skills

Patients, 9%
Data Collection, 6%
Cell Culture, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%
Research Projects, 4%
Lab Equipment, 3%

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Junior Research Fellow
Junior Research Fellow vs Research Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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