Neuroscientist vs research assistant

The differences between neuroscientists and research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a neuroscientist, becoming a research assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a neuroscientist has an average salary of $76,267, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a research assistant.

The top three skills for a neuroscientist include literature reviews, animal models and experimental design. The most important skills for a research assistant are patients, lab equipment, and data collection.

Neuroscientist vs research assistant overview

	Neuroscientist	Research Assistant
Yearly salary	$76,267	$42,896
Hourly rate	$36.67	$20.62
Growth rate	17%	19%
Number of jobs	23,046	51,080
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	41	38
Years of experience	4	2

Neuroscientist vs research assistant salary

Neuroscientists and research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Neuroscientist	Research Assistant
Average salary	$76,267	$42,896
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $133,000	Between $28,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New Brunswick, NJ
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Meta	JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between neuroscientist and research assistant education

There are a few differences between a neuroscientist and a research assistant in terms of educational background:

	Neuroscientist	Research Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Biology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Southern California	Harvard University

Neuroscientist vs research assistant demographics

Here are the differences between neuroscientists' and research assistants' demographics:

	Neuroscientist	Research Assistant
Average age	41	38
Gender ratio	Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%	Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 27.9% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between neuroscientist and research assistant duties and responsibilities

Neuroscientist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.
Supervise activities of analytical cellular and molecular immunology laboratories.

Research assistant example responsibilities.

Update twitter profile and manage social media campaign.
Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Learned many laboratory techniques, assays, and protocols; western blot, real-time PCR, tick collection, DNA extraction.
Analyze the effects of estrogen on various tissues using molecular biology techniques such as RT-PCR, RNA and DNA extractions.
Gain familiarity with research terminology, development procedures, data collection and management, and IRB considerations.

Neuroscientist vs research assistant skills

Common neuroscientist skills

Literature Reviews, 43%
Animal Models, 28%
Experimental Design, 16%
R, 8%
Scientific Data, 4%

Common research assistant skills

Patients, 9%
Lab Equipment, 9%
Data Collection, 8%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%
Research Projects, 5%
Data Analysis, 5%

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Neuroscientist vs Research Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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