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The differences between research professors and research 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 professor and a research scientist. Additionally, a research professor has an average salary of $119,503, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a research professor include research projects, public health and data collection. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Research Professor | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $119,503 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $57.45 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 59,502 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Research professors lead the research culture in their departments. In some cases, they will do less undergraduate teaching and focus more on teaching post-graduates. They also teach students at higher education institutions. They focus on their research activities that include presenting research findings at conferences worldwide. They are involved in initiatives working with private sectors and other public sector bodies. Part of their duties includes marking assessed work, attending planning meetings to ensure cross-departmental parity, and doing administrative tasks within the department.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Research professors and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Professor | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $119,503 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $212,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Pasadena, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | New York University | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a research professor and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Professor | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between research professors' and research scientists' demographics:
| Research Professor | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |