Research associate professor vs professor

The differences between research associate professors and professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a research associate professor, becoming a professor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a professor has an average salary of $157,570, which is higher than the $94,301 average annual salary of a research associate professor.

The top three skills for a research associate professor include public health, biomedical and research projects. The most important skills for a professor are philosophy, curriculum development, and mathematics.

Research associate professor vs professor overview

	Research Associate Professor	Professor
Yearly salary	$94,301	$157,570
Hourly rate	$45.34	$75.75
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	57,738	21,861
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	2

What does a research associate professor do?

The work of a research associate professor is conducting research, publishing papers, and attending conferences. The professor is also tasked with the job of attending academic events and networking with other researchers and field experts, as well as supervising, advising, and mentoring teaching assistants and graduate students.

What does a professor do?

A professor is a teaching professional who provides instructions to students on various academic and vocational subjects in colleges, universities, and vocational schools. Professors design curriculums for courses and ensure that they meet college and department students. They continuously conduct research and experiments so that advanced knowledge in their field is completed. They share their research and works by publishing them in books and academic journals. They also provide assistance to graduating students.

Research associate professor vs professor salary

Research associate professors and professors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Associate Professor	Professor
Average salary	$94,301	$157,570
Salary range	Between $58,000 And $151,000	Between $88,000 And $280,000
Highest paying City	Salt Lake City, UT	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Utah	California
Best paying company	University of Massachusetts Medical School	Oregon Health & Science University
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between research associate professor and professor education

There are a few differences between a research associate professor and a professor in terms of educational background:

	Research Associate Professor	Professor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Chemistry	Business
Most common college	Cornell University	Northwestern University

Research associate professor vs professor demographics

Here are the differences between research associate professors' and professors' demographics:

	Research Associate Professor	Professor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4%	Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 17.6% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between research associate professor and professor duties and responsibilities

Research associate professor example responsibilities.

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Conduct NIH sponsor studies on HIV/AIDS in African-American and Hispanic populations in Alabama.
Train students in electron microscopy, laser safety, vacuum technology, chemistry, instrumentation, and other laboratory procedures.
Identify glucose-induced increases in the phosphorylation levels of interest proteins, including metabolic enzymes and transcription factors by analyzing phosphoproteomics data.

Professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Instruct students in anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, college mathematics, and pharmacology math and dosage calculations.
Educate adult students in medical math, anatomy & physiology, business communications ,
Teach social science subjects including sociology, psychology and human services.
Mentore newly hire philosophy teachers on school culture as well as the program s academic requirements.
Prepare and deliver material to students on topics such as ethics, logic, and contemporary religious think.

Research associate professor vs professor skills

Common research associate professor skills

Public Health, 15%
Biomedical, 12%
Research Projects, 11%
SAS, 6%
NIH, 6%
Data Collection, 6%

Common professor skills

Philosophy, 10%
Curriculum Development, 9%
Mathematics, 6%
C++, 5%
Literature, 5%
Graduate Courses, 4%

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Research Associate Professor
Research Associate Professor vs Professor

Updated January 8, 2025

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