Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between research scientists and research specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a research scientist, becoming a research specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a research scientist has an average salary of $89,998, which is higher than the $52,662 average annual salary of a research specialist.
The top three skills for a research scientist include python, data analysis and patients. The most important skills for a research specialist are data collection, patients, and research projects.
| Research Scientist | Research Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $89,998 | $52,662 |
| Hourly rate | $43.27 | $25.32 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 93,013 | 79,341 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 41 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
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.
In a laboratory setting, a research specialist's responsibilities primarily revolve around conducting thorough research and analysis, producing extensive detailed reports, reviewing results, and coordinating with senior researchers and other laboratory personnel to ensure the accuracy of results. Furthermore, a research specialist may contribute their expertise to other publications and articles, train or supervise new researchers, and implement all laboratory guidelines and safety regulations at all times.
Research scientists and research specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Scientist | Research Specialist | |
| Average salary | $89,998 | $52,662 |
| Salary range | Between $58,000 And $137,000 | Between $35,000 And $77,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Lyft | Novartis |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research scientist and a research specialist in terms of educational background:
| Research Scientist | Research Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between research scientists' and research specialists' demographics:
| Research Scientist | Research Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% | Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0% |
| 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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |