Post job

Project geologist vs research geologist

The differences between project geologists and research geologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a project geologist and a research geologist. Additionally, a research geologist has an average salary of $116,391, which is higher than the $94,932 average annual salary of a project geologist.

The top three skills for a project geologist include OSHA, data collection and technical reports. The most important skills for a research geologist are GIS, geological survey, and R.

Project geologist vs research geologist overview

Project GeologistResearch Geologist
Yearly salary$94,932$116,391
Hourly rate$45.64$55.96
Growth rate5%5%
Number of jobs6,80545,501
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age4545
Years of experience1212

Project geologist vs research geologist salary

Project geologists and research geologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Project GeologistResearch Geologist
Average salary$94,932$116,391
Salary rangeBetween $57,000 And $156,000Between $81,000 And $166,000
Highest paying CityEl Paso, TXMidland, TX
Highest paying stateTexasTexas
Best paying companyClean HarborsExxon Mobil
Best paying industryManufacturing-

Differences between project geologist and research geologist education

There are a few differences between a project geologist and a research geologist in terms of educational background:

Project GeologistResearch Geologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 83%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorGeologyGeology
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Project geologist vs research geologist demographics

Here are the differences between project geologists' and research geologists' demographics:

Project GeologistResearch Geologist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 79.6% Female, 20.4%Male, 77.9% Female, 22.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 1.0% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 3.9% White, 83.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 0.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 5.6% White, 81.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage4%4%

Differences between project geologist and research geologist duties and responsibilities

Project geologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage and direct soil excavation projects at UST sites, pipeline leaks, and abandon oil fields.
  • Manage numerous UST closures and site restorations
  • Used GIS software such as ArcView and AutoCad to prepare maps and figures for reports.
  • Perform various tests and procedures to ASTM standards.
  • Generate report figures and sample location maps utilizing AutoCAD software.
  • Conduct unconfined compression tests for select core samples to ASTM standards.
  • Show more

Research geologist example responsibilities.

  • Foster cross laboratory collaboration between physics labs and between engineering, biology, and chemistry departments to accomplish share goals.
  • Synthesize and characterize colloidal room-temperature ferromagnetic CoFe2O4 nanoparticles.
  • Conduct research by administering quantitative and qualitative surveys to low income fathers and entering and analyzing the data using SPSS

Project geologist vs research geologist skills

Common project geologist skills
  • OSHA, 6%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Technical Reports, 5%
  • Geotechnical, 4%
  • Data Management, 4%
  • GIS, 3%
Common research geologist skills
  • GIS, 40%
  • Geological Survey, 18%
  • R, 15%
  • Geological Data, 12%
  • Research Projects, 8%
  • Sedimentology, 8%

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs