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The differences between research interns and research fellows 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 internship, becoming a research fellow takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a research fellow has an average salary of $53,823, which is higher than the $39,573 average annual salary of a research internship.
The top three skills for a research internship include python, C++ and research intern. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.
| Research Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Yearly salary | $39,573 | $53,823 |
| Hourly rate | $19.03 | $25.88 |
| Growth rate | 19% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 95,123 | 59,746 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A research intern is responsible for assisting the research team with conducting an investigation, compiling information, and analyzing results for an organized research study. Research interns' duties also include understanding the work processes and operation procedures, sharing strategies and recommendations on research methods, reaching out to appropriate research correspondents, managing clients' inquiries and concerns, keeping important client records for reference, studying current market trends, and maintaining the eagerness to learn. A research intern must have strong attention to detail and excellent communication skills to perform on daily research tasks.
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.
Research interns and research fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Average salary | $39,573 | $53,823 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $59,000 | Between $39,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a research internship and a research fellow in terms of educational background:
| Research Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between research interns' and research fellows' demographics:
| Research Internship | Research Fellow | |
| Average age | 37 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 47.9% Female, 52.1% | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |