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The differences between research fellows and senior research associates 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 fellow, becoming a senior research associate takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior research associate has an average salary of $72,618, 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 senior research associate are patients, data analysis, and CRISPR.
| Research Fellow | Senior Research Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $53,823 | $72,618 |
| Hourly rate | $25.88 | $34.91 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 59,746 | 58,903 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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 Senior Research Associate works closely with research team members to implement research ideas. They diagnose, solve system/software problems, and install application software according to research needs.
Research fellows and senior research associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Fellow | Senior Research Associate | |
| Average salary | $53,823 | $72,618 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $72,000 | Between $51,000 And $102,000 |
| Highest paying City | South San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Washington |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Government |
There are a few differences between a research fellow and a senior research associate in terms of educational background:
| Research Fellow | Senior Research Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between research fellows' and senior research associates' demographics:
| Research Fellow | Senior Research Associate | |
| Average age | 41 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% | Male, 53.6% Female, 46.4% |
| 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, 2.5% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 13.4% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |