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The differences between laboratory interns and 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 laboratory internship and a research fellow. Additionally, a research fellow has an average salary of $53,823, which is higher than the $35,305 average annual salary of a laboratory internship.
The top three skills for a laboratory internship include lab procedures, chemistry and python. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.
| Laboratory Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Yearly salary | $35,305 | $53,823 |
| Hourly rate | $16.97 | $25.88 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 90,970 | 59,746 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 40 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A laboratory intern is responsible for assisting laboratory operations and perform examinations and experiments under the supervision of tenured laboratory staff. Laboratory interns shadow all the laboratory processes, document their observations, and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results. They must have excellent knowledge of scientific procedures, demonstrating their class learnings to practical applications. A laboratory intern must be detail-oriented, especially on conducting and verifying the accuracy of research materials. It is also required for a laboratory intern to be a fast-learner, understanding the scientific complexities to master various approaches.
A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.
Laboratory interns and research fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Laboratory Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Average salary | $35,305 | $53,823 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $48,000 | Between $39,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a laboratory internship and a research fellow in terms of educational background:
| Laboratory Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between laboratory interns' and research fellows' demographics:
| Laboratory Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Average age | 40 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.8% Female, 52.2% | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 18.2% White, 49.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 27.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |