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The differences between research associates and assistant research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a research associate and an assistant research scientist. Additionally, an assistant research scientist has an average salary of $62,780, which is higher than the $60,166 average annual salary of a research associate.
The top three skills for a research associate include patients, research projects and data analysis. The most important skills for an assistant research scientist are research projects, data collection, and data analysis.
| Research Associate | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $60,166 | $62,780 |
| Hourly rate | $28.93 | $30.18 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 63,884 | 88,786 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A research associate is responsible for assisting the research team, organizing and interpreting findings, and verifying information before presenting the study to the board. Research associates duties also include gathering and comparing data from multiple sources, analyzing the current industry trends, creating draft outlines for reports, collecting individual contacts for interview purposes, and helping with the development of research procedures. A research associate must have excellent time-management skills and ability to multi-task, especially on meeting strict deadlines and conducting studies.
An Assistant Research Scientist assists in planning, conducting, and analyzing various research projects. They also order and manage lab inventory, materials, and equipment.
Research associates and assistant research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Associate | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $60,166 | $62,780 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $87,000 | Between $43,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Worcester, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | University of California |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Education |
There are a few differences between a research associate and an assistant research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Associate | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between research associates' and assistant research scientists' demographics:
| Research Associate | Assistant Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% | Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 16.7% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |