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The differences between research professors 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 professor and a scientist. Additionally, a research professor has an average salary of $119,503, which is higher than the $97,344 average annual salary of a scientist.
The top three skills for a research professor include research projects, public health and data collection. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Research Professor | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $119,503 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $57.45 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 59,502 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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.
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 professors and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Professor | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $119,503 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $67,000 And $212,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Pasadena, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | New York University | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research professor and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Professor | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between research professors' and scientists' demographics:
| Research Professor | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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, 6.5% 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% |