Post job

Research fellow vs phd researcher

The differences between research fellows and phd researchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a research fellow and an phd researcher. Additionally, a research fellow has an average salary of $53,823, which is higher than the $51,634 average annual salary of an phd researcher.

The top three skills for a research fellow include patients, research projects and data analysis. The most important skills for an phd researcher are python, chemistry, and research projects.

Research fellow vs phd researcher overview

Research FellowPHD Researcher
Yearly salary$53,823$51,634
Hourly rate$25.88$24.82
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs59,74619,736
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Doctoral Degree, 40%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a research fellow do?

A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.

What does an phd researcher do?

The primary job of a Ph.D. researcher is to plan and conduct experiments and analyzing their outcome. You will collect, organize, and analyze data and opinions to solve issues and predict trends. Other tasks you will perform include doing fieldwork to collect samples, writing reports, research papers, and reviews, and organizing materials testing. In addition, you need to liaise with research and production staff, develop ways to resolve problems, and supervise junior research staff.

Research fellow vs phd researcher salary

Research fellows and phd researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Research FellowPHD Researcher
Average salary$53,823$51,634
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $72,000Between $35,000 And $76,000
Highest paying CitySouth San Francisco, CANovato, CA
Highest paying stateHawaiiCalifornia
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncMeta
Best paying industryNon ProfitsTechnology

Differences between research fellow and phd researcher education

There are a few differences between a research fellow and an phd researcher in terms of educational background:

Research FellowPHD Researcher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Doctoral Degree, 40%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeDuke UniversityDuke University

Research fellow vs phd researcher demographics

Here are the differences between research fellows' and phd researchers' demographics:

Research FellowPHD Researcher
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 55.3% Female, 44.7%Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 27.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 32.5% White, 47.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between research fellow and phd researcher duties and responsibilities

Research fellow example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with software engineers to automate identification of 15N- and 13C- labele LC-MS features.
  • Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
  • Manage investigator initiate and cooperative group correlative studies to identify biomarkers to ascertain tumor burden and clinical outcomes in lymphoma.
  • Analyze quantitative and qualitative data through statistical software SAS and SPSS.
  • Conduct sampling, PCR, data analysis and oral presentations of the work
  • Implement python and C++ codes for numerical computation of transport properties in models and materials.
  • Show more

Phd researcher example responsibilities.

  • Manage and mentore graduate and undergraduate students in their physical chemistry relate studies and research projects on spin dynamics simulations.
  • Evaluate data employing GC/MS, gel electrophoresis, and UV/VIS spectroscopy.
  • Perform testing using gel electrophoresis as well as mixed and pour the gels used in testing
  • Optimize and redesign robotic components base on FEA for improve strength using ANSYS and SOLIDWORKS.
  • Coauthor an NIH grant proposal on DNA mismatch repair and malaria drug resistance (5R21AI072723-02).
  • Design a scent dispenser 3D model in SolidWorks and build a prototype by utilizing MasterCam and CNC machines.
  • Show more

Research fellow vs phd researcher skills

Common research fellow skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Research Projects, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Cell Culture, 5%
  • Immunology, 4%
  • CRISPR, 4%
Common phd researcher skills
  • Python, 9%
  • Chemistry, 8%
  • Research Projects, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Renewable Energy, 6%
  • C++, 5%

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs