Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between research scientists and assistant professors 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 scientist and an assistant professor. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, which is higher than the $87,099 average annual salary of an assistant professor.
The top three skills for a research scientist include python, data analysis and patients. The most important skills for an assistant professor are patients, public health, and pediatrics.
| Research Scientist | Assistant Professor | |
| Yearly salary | $89,998 | $87,099 |
| Hourly rate | $43.27 | $41.87 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 93,013 | 30,531 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
An assistant professor is an entry-level position who teaches in a university, conducts research, and assists senior professors. Assistant professors supervise undergraduate and graduate students at the same time provide professors and department heads with feedback on the progress of their students. To be effective in teaching and mentoring students, assistant professors must possess strong communication skills with advanced knowledge of their field. They must also have a Ph. D degree in the relevant academic discipline as well as teaching experience in a university setting.
Research scientists and assistant professors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Scientist | Assistant Professor | |
| Average salary | $89,998 | $87,099 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $137,000 | Between $50,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Lyft | UT Medical Group, Inc. |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a research scientist and an assistant professor in terms of educational background:
| Research Scientist | Assistant Professor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Nursing |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between research scientists' and assistant professors' demographics:
| Research Scientist | Assistant Professor | |
| Average age | 41 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 17.4% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 16% |