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The differences between research associates and research technicians 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 technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research associate has an average salary of $60,166, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.
The top three skills for a research associate include patients, research projects and data analysis. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.
| Research Associate | Research Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $60,166 | $43,034 |
| Hourly rate | $28.93 | $20.69 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 63,884 | 64,786 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| 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.
A research technician is responsible for assisting in research studies and laboratory experiments. Research technicians operate laboratory tools and equipment, process data for experiments, collect samples for study, analyze existing research materials, analyze experiment results, manage inventories and stock supplies, record observations, and create reports for further examination. A research technician must have strong analytical and scientific knowledge, as well as a passion for research writing and investigations crucial for this kind of industry.
Research associates and research technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Associate | Research Technician | |
| Average salary | $60,166 | $43,034 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $87,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | Worcester, MA | Pasadena, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | GCP Applied Technologies |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a research associate and a research technician in terms of educational background:
| Research Associate | Research Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between research associates' and research technicians' demographics:
| Research Associate | Research Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 50.8% Female, 49.2% | Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7% |
| 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, 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 | 8% | 6% |