Junior research fellow vs senior research fellow

The differences between junior research fellows and senior research fellows 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 senior research fellow. Additionally, a junior research fellow has an average salary of $64,677, which is higher than the $62,129 average annual salary of a senior research fellow.

The top three skills for a junior research fellow include cell culture, R and molecular techniques. The most important skills for a senior research fellow are python, research projects, and data analysis.

Junior research fellow vs senior research fellow overview

	Junior Research Fellow	Senior Research Fellow
Yearly salary	$64,677	$62,129
Hourly rate	$31.09	$29.87
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	61,504	53,535
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Junior research fellow vs senior research fellow salary

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

	Junior Research Fellow	Senior Research Fellow
Average salary	$64,677	$62,129
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $90,000	Between $40,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	Sunnyvale, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Hawaii
Best paying company	Colfax Corporation	Google
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between junior research fellow and senior research fellow education

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

	Junior Research Fellow	Senior Research Fellow
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Junior research fellow vs senior research fellow demographics

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

	Junior Research Fellow	Senior Research Fellow
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%
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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between junior research fellow and senior research fellow 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.

Senior research fellow example responsibilities.

Lead a project aim at improving DNA yields from various soil types in Dr. Connell's lab.
Manage grant base research and submit the grant proposal to ICAR and get approved for fund research.
Mentore a graduate student on the following topics: study design, literature reviews, drafting data plans and SAS.
Contribute to the creation of new markup standards for scholarship in the humanities.
Research unidentify payments and patients.
Conduct long-term observations of grind water dynamics and chemistry.

Junior research fellow vs senior research fellow skills

Common junior research fellow skills

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

Common senior research fellow skills

Python, 12%
Research Projects, 8%
Data Analysis, 6%
C++, 6%
Research Findings, 5%
Data Collection, 4%

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Junior Research Fellow
Junior Research Fellow vs Senior Research Fellow

Updated January 8, 2025

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