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The differences between research fellows and scientists 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 a scientist. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $53,823 average annual salary of a research fellow.
The top three skills for a research fellow include patients, research projects and data analysis. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Research Fellow | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $53,823 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $25.88 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 59,746 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Research fellows and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Fellow | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $53,823 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $72,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research fellow and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Fellow | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between research fellows' and scientists' demographics:
| Research Fellow | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |