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The differences between research staff members and research engineers 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 staff member, becoming a research engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a research staff member has an average salary of $110,035, which is higher than the $96,945 average annual salary of a research engineer.
The top three skills for a research staff member include python, machine learning and research projects. The most important skills for a research engineer are python, java, and software development.
| Research Staff Member | Research Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $110,035 | $96,945 |
| Hourly rate | $52.90 | $46.61 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 118,661 | 136,763 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A Research Staff Member is a part of the research team who will assist in the entire research project. The staff member will work on various research stages and assist in collating information from different sources. One of the research staff members' responsibilities is to understand all facets of conducting research, get all government policies regarding the particular topic in research, and ensure that all procedures are legal and ethical. The research staff member is a broad term for a person part of a research team and is often given specific tasks when one is officially part of the team.
Research Engineers are responsible for a wide range of duties, including researching and developing new technologies and prototypes, and finding solutions to improve techniques, procedures, and technologies.
Research staff members and research engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Staff Member | Research Engineer | |
| Average salary | $110,035 | $96,945 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $156,000 | Between $67,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | PARC | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a research staff member and a research engineer in terms of educational background:
| Research Staff Member | Research Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Mechanical Engineering |
| Most common college | Duke University | Georgia Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between research staff members' and research engineers' demographics:
| Research Staff Member | Research Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% | Male, 81.7% Female, 18.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.2% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.9% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |