Research physicist vs nuclear scientist

The differences between research physicists and nuclear scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a research physicist and a nuclear scientist. Additionally, a nuclear scientist has an average salary of $112,127, which is higher than the $74,663 average annual salary of a research physicist.

The top three skills for a research physicist include data analysis, laser and python. The most important skills for a nuclear scientist are data acquisition, R, and nuclear power.

Research physicist vs nuclear scientist overview

	Research Physicist	Nuclear Scientist
Yearly salary	$74,663	$112,127
Hourly rate	$35.90	$53.91
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	46,060	44,724
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	6	6

Research physicist vs nuclear scientist salary

Research physicists and nuclear scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Physicist	Nuclear Scientist
Average salary	$74,663	$112,127
Salary range	Between $51,000 And $107,000	Between $73,000 And $170,000
Highest paying City	Coram, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Sandia National Labs	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between research physicist and nuclear scientist education

There are a few differences between a research physicist and a nuclear scientist in terms of educational background:

	Research Physicist	Nuclear Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Physics	Nuclear Engineering
Most common college	Harvard University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Research physicist vs nuclear scientist demographics

Here are the differences between research physicists' and nuclear scientists' demographics:

	Research Physicist	Nuclear Scientist
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 85.4% Female, 14.6%	Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.6% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 10.8% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 0.8% Unknown, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 6.7% Asian, 7.9% White, 80.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	24%	24%

Differences between research physicist and nuclear scientist duties and responsibilities

Research physicist example responsibilities.

Foster cross laboratory collaboration between physics labs and between engineering, biology, and chemistry departments to accomplish share goals.
Design and oversee construction of flow loop for development of multi-phase NMR flowmeter.
Develop and conduct technologists' training on MR QC, QA and safety programs.
Commission of ArcCheck (SunNuclear) for patient-specific QA of IMRT, RapidArc, and SBRT as medical physics resident.
Perform all aspects of LDR brachytherapy procedures using VariSeed 8.0 under the supervision of the physician and three ABR certify physicists
Commission TrueBeam Linac system as medical physics resident.

Nuclear scientist example responsibilities.

Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Conduct research and analyze data to identify potential biomarkers and provide input for selection of candidates for non-clinical studies development.
Facilitate customer acceptance of demand forecast by developing visualization processes, tutoring clients in methodology, and providing detail walk-through examples.

Research physicist vs nuclear scientist skills

Common research physicist skills

Data Analysis, 20%
Laser, 15%
Python, 10%
Data Collection, 8%
Technical Reports, 7%
RF, 7%

Common nuclear scientist skills

Data Acquisition, 65%
R, 24%
Nuclear Power, 11%

Research Physicist vs. similar jobs

Research Physicist related careers

Research Physicist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Research Physicist
Research Physicist vs Nuclear Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs