Research assistant, chemistry department vs research technician

The differences between research assistants, chemistry department and research 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 assistant, chemistry department and a research technician. Additionally, a research assistant, chemistry department has an average salary of $64,402, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.

The top three skills for a research assistant, chemistry department include NMR, SEM and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.

Research assistant, chemistry department vs research technician overview

	Research Assistant, Chemistry Department	Research Technician
Yearly salary	$64,402	$43,034
Hourly rate	$30.96	$20.69
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	74,916	64,786
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Research assistant, chemistry department vs research technician salary

Research assistants, chemistry department and research technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Assistant, Chemistry Department	Research Technician
Average salary	$64,402	$43,034
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $91,000	Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	-	Pasadena, CA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	GCP Applied Technologies
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between research assistant, chemistry department and research technician education

There are a few differences between a research assistant, chemistry department and a research technician in terms of educational background:

	Research Assistant, Chemistry Department	Research Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Research assistant, chemistry department vs research technician demographics

Here are the differences between research assistants, chemistry department' and research technicians' demographics:

	Research Assistant, Chemistry Department	Research Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 55.4% Female, 44.6%	Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 19.0% White, 49.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between research assistant, chemistry department and research technician duties and responsibilities

Research assistant, chemistry department example responsibilities.

Manage participant records according to IRB guidelines to ensure confidentiality.
Work with familiarization level proficiency in the use of spectroscopy, electrophoresis and other quantitative analytical techniques.
Synthesize a single strand DNA sensor.
Research relate to gas absorption with hydrogen fuel cell applications.
Prepare numerous chemical solution samples for analysis and various buffers used for CE and HPLC analysis.
Develop HPLC methods and analyze organic compounds.

Research technician example responsibilities.

Manage a DNA database and work with researchers to retrieve or send out samples and results.
Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Prepare reagents for use in processing samples, DNA and RNA extractions, and QC.
Investigate and validate various acute phase protein assays as OA biomarkers in rodent animal models.
Perform DNA extraction and analysis for the purpose of identifying bacterial strand for waste stream characterization.
Extend course knowledge of CRISPR to experiment.

Research assistant, chemistry department vs research technician skills

Common research assistant, chemistry department skills

NMR, 13%
SEM, 9%
Laboratory Equipment, 8%
DR, 7%
Nmr Spectroscopy, 6%
Organic Synthesis, 5%

Common research technician skills

Patients, 9%
Data Collection, 6%
Cell Culture, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%
Research Projects, 4%
Lab Equipment, 3%

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Research Assistant, Chemistry Department
Research Assistant, Chemistry Department vs Research Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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