What Does a Research Engineer Do?

In this section, we compare the average Research Engineer annual salary with that of a Product Development Engineer. Typically, Product Development Engineers earn a $453 lower salary than Research Engineers earn annually.

While their salaries may differ, one common ground between Research Engineers and Product Development Engineers are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like R, Data Analysis, and C++.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a Research Engineer responsibility requires skills such as "Python," "C #," "Hardware," and "Research Projects." Whereas a Product Development Engineer is skilled in "Product Design," "Prototype," "FEA," and "UL." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Product Development Engineers really shine in the Technology industry with an average salary of $87,647. Whereas Research Engineers tend to make the most money in the Technology industry with an average salary of $102,860.

Product Development Engineers tend to reach lower levels of education than Research Engineers. In fact, Product Development Engineers are 7.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 7.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

The next role we're going to look at is the Mechanical Design Engineer profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $7,148 lower salary than Research Engineers per year.

A similarity between the two careers of Research Engineers and Mechanical Design Engineers are a few of the skills associated with both roles. We used resumes from both professions to find that both use skills like "R," "System Design," and "CAD. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences that are worth noting. For example, Research Engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "Python," "C #," "Hardware," and "Data Analysis." Meanwhile, a Mechanical Design Engineer might be skilled in areas such as "Engineering Design," "Engineering Drawings," "Creo," and "GD." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, Mechanical Design Engineers earn a lower salary than Research Engineers. There are industries that support higher salaries in each profession respectively. Interestingly enough, Mechanical Design Engineers earn the most pay in the Automotive industry with an average salary of $83,798. Whereas, Research Engineers have higher paychecks in the Technology industry where they earn an average of $102,860.

In general, Mechanical Design Engineers study at lower levels of education than Research Engineers. They're 11.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 7.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

The third profession we take a look at is Design Engineer Internship. On an average scale, these workers bring in lower salaries than Research Engineers. In fact, they make a $39,543 lower salary per year.

By looking over several Research Engineers and Design Engineer Interns resumes, we found that both roles utilize similar skills, such as "Python," "R," and "Data Analysis." But beyond that the careers look very different.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from Research Engineers resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "C #," "Hardware," "Research Projects," and "Software Development." But a Design Engineer Internship might have skills like "Engineering Design," "Verilog," "Powerpoint," and "Engineering Drawings."

Interestingly enough, Design Engineer Interns earn the most pay in the Automotive industry, where they command an average salary of $59,907. As mentioned previously, Research Engineers highest annual salary comes from the Technology industry with an average salary of $102,860.

Design Engineer Interns typically study at lower levels compared with Research Engineers. For example, they're 11.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 8.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

The fourth career we look at typically earns higher pay than Research Engineers. On average, Product Design Engineers earn a difference of $4 higher per year.

While their salaries may vary, Research Engineers and Product Design Engineers both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "R," "System Design," and "CAD. "

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "Python," "C #," "Hardware," and "Data Analysis" are skills that have shown up on Research Engineers resumes. Additionally, Product Design Engineer uses skills like Engineering Design, GD, Creo, and Engineering Drawings on their resumes.

Product Design Engineers earn a higher salary in the Technology industry with an average of $99,053. Whereas, Research Engineers earn the highest salary in the Technology industry.

The average resume of Product Design Engineers showed that they earn lower levels of education to Research Engineers. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 12.0% less. Additionally, they're less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 8.0%.