Research associate, policy vs research specialist

The differences between research associates, policy and research specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a research associate, policy and a research specialist. Additionally, a research associate, policy has an average salary of $69,079, which is higher than the $52,662 average annual salary of a research specialist.

The top three skills for a research associate, policy include public policy, policy research and research projects. The most important skills for a research specialist are data collection, patients, and research projects.

Research associate, policy vs research specialist overview

	Research Associate, Policy	Research Specialist
Yearly salary	$69,079	$52,662
Hourly rate	$33.21	$25.32
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	49,112	79,341
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	6	6

What does a research associate, policy do?

A research associate monitors the progress of research projects and coordinates information between departmental sections. They perform a wide and complex variety of assays, tests, and studies, as well as performing highly specialized and advanced experiments. Their duties and responsibilities also include preparing material for submission to departments or organizations, replying to research emails, and requesting necessary equipment.

What does a research specialist do?

In a laboratory setting, a research specialist's responsibilities primarily revolve around conducting thorough research and analysis, producing extensive detailed reports, reviewing results, and coordinating with senior researchers and other laboratory personnel to ensure the accuracy of results. Furthermore, a research specialist may contribute their expertise to other publications and articles, train or supervise new researchers, and implement all laboratory guidelines and safety regulations at all times.

Research associate, policy vs research specialist salary

Research associates, policy and research specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Associate, Policy	Research Specialist
Average salary	$69,079	$52,662
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $102,000	Between $35,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Washington	Washington
Best paying company	RAND	Novartis
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between research associate, policy and research specialist education

There are a few differences between a research associate, policy and a research specialist in terms of educational background:

	Research Associate, Policy	Research Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Political Science	Biology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Georgia

Research associate, policy vs research specialist demographics

Here are the differences between research associates, policy' and research specialists' demographics:

	Research Associate, Policy	Research Specialist
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.3% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between research associate, policy and research specialist duties and responsibilities

Research associate, policy example responsibilities.

Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
Conduct analysis of international climate change implications and participate in the selection of tools for government agencies to monitor climate change.
Mouse colony maintenance: breeding and genotyping mice to maintain an active colony of multiple transgenic lines.
Supervise activities of investigators and associates to ensure compliance with protocols, FDA regulations and overall clinical objectives.

Research specialist example responsibilities.

Manage both GLP and non-GLP studies that are contracted to CROs.
Create weekly presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint and manage monthly board meetings.
Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
Assist in surgical procedures on both rabbits and rats to obtain tissue specimens for RNA isolation for subsequent RT-PCR
Perform and supervise applied bench scale and pilot scale process research on extraction, distillation, and reaction processes.
Perform the timely and accurate execution of CESG protocols, procedures and results within the cloning and crystallography teams.

Research associate, policy vs research specialist skills

Common research associate, policy skills

Public Policy, 19%
Policy Research, 16%
Research Projects, 7%
Stata, 4%
Government Agencies, 4%
Policy Analysis, 4%

Common research specialist skills

Data Collection, 7%
Patients, 7%
Research Projects, 7%
Data Analysis, 5%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Cell Culture, 4%

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Research Associate, Policy
Research Associate, Policy vs Research Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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