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The differences between research staff members 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 staff member and a scientist. Additionally, a research staff member has an average salary of $110,035, which is higher than the $97,344 average annual salary of a scientist.
The top three skills for a research staff member include python, machine learning and research projects. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Research Staff Member | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $110,035 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $52.90 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 118,661 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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.
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 staff members and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Research Staff Member | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $110,035 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $156,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | PARC | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a research staff member and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Research Staff Member | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between research staff members' and scientists' demographics:
| Research Staff Member | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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, 6.5% 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% |