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The differences between research associates and research scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a research associate, becoming a research scientist takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, 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 a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Research Associate | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $60,166 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $28.93 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 63,884 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Research associates and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Associate | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $60,166 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $87,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Worcester, MA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a research associate and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Associate | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between research associates' and research scientists' demographics:
| Research Associate | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 38 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |