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The differences between research engineers and research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a research engineer, becoming a research assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a research engineer has an average salary of $96,945, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a research assistant.
The top three skills for a research engineer include python, java and software development. The most important skills for a research assistant are patients, lab equipment, and data collection.
| Research Engineer | Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $96,945 | $42,896 |
| Hourly rate | $46.61 | $20.62 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 136,763 | 51,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
Research assistants give support to researchers or other professionals who need assistance as they conduct experiments, studies, or other research projects. Research assistants help in conducting experiments, surveys, or interviews under the supervision of the primary researcher. They also work on research activities such as literature reviews, collect data, assist in interpreting results, prepare designs or visuals for the presentation of the results, and even ensure that all the tools and documentation related to the study are properly organized. They also assist in fact-checking the output and ensure that the data presented are accurate. Research assistants usually possess an academic background that is related to the main research topic.
Research engineers and research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Engineer | Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $96,945 | $42,896 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $138,000 | Between $28,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a research engineer and a research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Research Engineer | Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Psychology |
| Most common college | Georgia Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between research engineers' and research assistants' demographics:
| Research Engineer | Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 41 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% | Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 8% |