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Project scientist vs research fellow

The differences between project scientists 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 project scientist and a research fellow. Additionally, a project scientist has an average salary of $79,073, which is higher than the $53,823 average annual salary of a research fellow.

The top three skills for a project scientist include data analysis, research projects and oversight. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.

Project scientist vs research fellow overview

Project ScientistResearch Fellow
Yearly salary$79,073$53,823
Hourly rate$38.02$25.88
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs53,04559,746
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a project scientist do?

A Project Scientist is responsible for conducting tests and evaluations of existing products and reporting the findings. The industries they may work in include textiles technology, polymer technology, chemical sciences, and chemical engineering.

What does a research fellow do?

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.

Project scientist vs research fellow salary

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

Project ScientistResearch Fellow
Average salary$79,073$53,823
Salary rangeBetween $56,000 And $110,000Between $39,000 And $72,000
Highest paying CityFarmington, CTSouth San Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutHawaii
Best paying companyAmazonMcKinsey & Company Inc
Best paying industryTechnologyNon Profits

Differences between project scientist and research fellow education

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

Project ScientistResearch Fellow
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorEnvironmental ScienceChemistry
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Project scientist vs research fellow demographics

Here are the differences between project scientists' and research fellows' demographics:

Project ScientistResearch Fellow
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 68.0% Female, 32.0%Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.2% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%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 Percentage8%8%

Differences between project scientist and research fellow duties and responsibilities

Project scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage clearance sampling and responsible for final clearance readings and other duties as directed by EPA.
  • Manage the GIS data set and develop maps to support interim actions, the risk assessment, and the RI/FS.
  • Develop and manage company asbestos inspection program.
  • Develop and manage company EHS compliance processes in accordance with current and upcoming regulatory mandates.
  • Develop QC HPLC procedure for raw materials and finish products.
  • Perform RNA extraction, RT-PCR and qPCR to evaluate gene regulation on Bcl3 mutants.
  • Show more

Research fellow example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with software engineers to automate identification of 15N- and 13C- labele LC-MS features.
  • Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
  • Manage investigator initiate and cooperative group correlative studies to identify biomarkers to ascertain tumor burden and clinical outcomes in lymphoma.
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data through statistical software SAS and SPSS.
  • Conduct sampling, PCR, data analysis and oral presentations of the work
  • Implement python and C++ codes for numerical computation of transport properties in models and materials.
  • Show more

Project scientist vs research fellow skills

Common project scientist skills
  • Data Analysis, 10%
  • Research Projects, 9%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Data Management, 6%
  • Technical Reports, 4%
  • EPA, 4%
Common research fellow skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Research Projects, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Cell Culture, 5%
  • Immunology, 4%
  • CRISPR, 4%

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