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The differences between research staff members 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 staff member and a research scientist. Additionally, a research staff member has an average salary of $110,035, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a research staff member include python, machine learning and research projects. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Research Staff Member | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $110,035 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $52.90 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 118,661 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
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 staff members and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Staff Member | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $110,035 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $156,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | PARC | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a research staff member and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Staff Member | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between research staff members' and research scientists' demographics:
| Research Staff Member | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| 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, 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% |