Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between research and development technicians and research laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a research and development technician and a research laboratory technician. Additionally, a research and development technician has an average salary of $83,552, which is higher than the $38,308 average annual salary of a research laboratory technician.
The top three skills for a research and development technician include R, project management and product management. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.
| Research And Development Technician | Research Laboratory Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $83,552 | $38,308 |
| Hourly rate | $40.17 | $18.42 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 111,268 | 86,476 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A research and development technician specializes in performing mathematical and laboratory operations to support projects concerning products and development. Usually functioning as an assistant to a more experienced researcher, a research and development technician's responsibilities revolve around conducting analysis, building models and prototypes, producing reports, and performing various experiments. Furthermore, as a technician, it is crucial to coordinate with all team members, keeping an accurate record of all processes while adhering to the company's standards and regulations.
Research laboratory technicians play a vital role in scientific laboratories. They perform varied duties and responsibilities, which include setting up, operating, and maintaining the laboratory equipment, assisting in laboratory-based research activities such as sampling, testing, and analyzing results, and providing technical support to the laboratory team members. In addition, they are expected to support the development and advancement of science and modern medicine. Other typical duties of research laboratory technicians include preparing samples and specimens, keeping abreast with current technical developments, and ensuring strict compliance with safety procedures.
Research and development technicians and research laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research And Development Technician | Research Laboratory Technician | |
| Average salary | $83,552 | $38,308 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $125,000 | Between $30,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Illinois |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Accenture |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a research and development technician and a research laboratory technician in terms of educational background:
| Research And Development Technician | Research Laboratory Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between research and development technicians' and research laboratory technicians' demographics:
| Research And Development Technician | Research Laboratory Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.5% Female, 27.5% | Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 15.4% White, 50.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% | Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 15.7% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |