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What does a research staff member do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

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.

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Research staff member responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real research staff member resumes:

  • Invent and develop new (user) input technology then lead the design and prototyping of its applications.
  • Design, analyze, and oversee HIV relate research projects including IRB protocol.
  • Perform testing for urinalysis, blood sugar, EKG, eye examinations, and blood pressure.
  • Prove that single amino acid changes affect protein oligomerization as well as DNA / RNA - protein binding.
  • Develop advance visualization components and diagrams using C++ third party libraries.
  • Research chemistry and biology projects pertaining to the synthesis of gamma amino derivatives
  • Used TTL, ECL, CMOS chips and FPGA's in mix signal analog and digital video boards.
  • Perform EKG's per the physician's orders.
  • Perform characterization of nanoparticle using TEM and LSCM.
  • Mentore a junior faculty member on an NIH RO3 grant award.
  • Develop a GUI in Java for use with various high-performance data strippers.
  • Design level-1 cache memory circuits for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 microprocessors.
  • Teach general chemistry, physics and associate labs to undergraduate level students.
  • Lead software developer for real-time, safety-critical VxWorks 5.5 C base flight computer.
  • Improve a CPUsimulator of a SPARC processor with a modifiable memory and cache hierarchy.

Research staff member skills and personality traits

We calculated that 17% of Research Staff Members are proficient in Python, Machine Learning, and Research Projects. They’re also known for soft skills such as Observation skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.

We break down the percentage of Research Staff Members that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Python, 17%

    Collected magnetic data and estimated the critical exponents of Ni2MnGa system from extensive data analysis utilizing a purpose-written Python code.

  • Machine Learning, 14%

    Use of machine learning approaches, as well as dynamic modeling for project.

  • Research Projects, 6%

    Participated in research projects for the development of high energy linear proton accelerators (RFQ-injected LINACS).

  • DOE, 6%

    Used DOE for a PECVD process that increased throughput by 100% and reduced film thickness non-uniformity by 50%.

  • Data Analysis, 5%

    Contributed to software toolkit for EEG data analysis, feature extraction and classification.

  • Java, 4%

    Translated use case models (in UML) into Java code utilizing Rational XDE (Eclipse) and Rational Rose Suite

Common skills that a research staff member uses to do their job include "python," "machine learning," and "research projects." You can find details on the most important research staff member responsibilities below.

Observation skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a research staff member to have is observation skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." Research staff members often use observation skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "learned pcr and electron microscopic observation. "

Communication skills. Many research staff member duties rely on communication skills. "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways," so a research staff member will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways research staff member responsibilities rely on communication skills: "applied the developed prototype methodology to mobile cloud computing devices for point-to-point communications of internet of things. "

See the full list of research staff member skills

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Compare different research staff members

Research staff member vs. Doctoral fellow

A doctoral fellow is a physician that has completed studies and receives a fellowship to cover his/her or her expenses while completing his/her or her medical dissertation. A doctor fellow undergoes this fellowship to get additional training for their chosen sub-specialty. During the fellowship period, a fellow can act as an attending physician or consultant physician with other physicians' direct supervision in the sub-specialty field.

We looked at the average research staff member salary and compared it with the wages of a doctoral fellow. Generally speaking, doctoral fellows are paid $56,669 lower than research staff members per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both research staff member and doctoral fellow positions are skilled in python, research projects, and data analysis.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, research staff member responsibilities require skills like "machine learning," "c #," "doe," and "national security." Meanwhile a typical doctoral fellow has skills in areas such as "patients," "cell biology," "immunology," and "veterans." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Doctoral fellows tend to make the most money working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $67,423. In contrast, research staff members make the biggest average salary, $121,618, in the technology industry.On average, doctoral fellows reach similar levels of education than research staff members. Doctoral fellows are 4.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 29.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Research staff member vs. Fellow

A fellow's responsibility will depend on the organization or industry where one belongs. However, most of the time, a fellow's duty will revolve around conducting research and analysis, presiding discussions and attending dialogues, handle lectures while complying with the guidelines or tasks set by supervisors, and assist in various projects and activities. Furthermore, a fellow must adhere to the institution or organization's policies and regulations at all times, meet all the requirements and outputs involved, and coordinate with every person in the workforce.

Fellow positions earn lower pay than research staff member roles. They earn a $43,671 lower salary than research staff members per year.A few skills overlap for research staff members and fellows. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "python," "machine learning," and "research projects. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real research staff member resumes. While research staff member responsibilities can utilize skills like "c #," "doe," "national security," and "java," fellows use skills like "patients," "professional development," "veterans," and "mathematics."

Fellows earn a lower average salary than research staff members. But fellows earn the highest pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $67,978. Additionally, research staff members earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $121,618 annually.fellows earn similar levels of education than research staff members in general. They're 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 29.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Research staff member vs. Microbiologist

Microbiologists are responsible for studying the microscopic organisms causing infections and environmental damage, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Their work focuses on the identification and growth of these microbes to better understand their characteristics that may help in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious and bacterial diseases. They use sophisticated technologies and machinery to study microbes and perform their tasks. These scientists are also responsible for developing best practices and techniques for routine sampling and research. Microbiologists may work in various settings, including laboratories, research institutes, and hospitals.

On average, microbiologists earn lower salaries than research staff members, with a $55,415 difference per year.research staff members and microbiologists both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "data analysis," "r," and "hplc," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, research staff members are more likely to have skills like "python," "machine learning," "c #," and "research projects." But a microbiologist is more likely to have skills like "lab equipment," "microbiology lab," "environmental monitoring," and "test methods."

Microbiologists make a very good living in the pharmaceutical industry with an average annual salary of $57,911. On the other hand, research staff members are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $121,618.When it comes to education, microbiologists tend to earn lower degree levels compared to research staff members. In fact, they're 8.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 15.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Research staff member vs. Biology laboratory assistant

A biology laboratory assistant is in charge of assisting scientists or researchers and performing laboratory support tasks on a daily basis. Their responsibilities include setting up and sanitizing equipment, preparing samples, maintaining documentation of all experiments and procedures, writing laboratory reports, and running errands as needed. There are also instances where they must update databases, answer calls and correspondence, and grade student papers. Furthermore, a biology laboratory assistant must maintain the cleanliness of laboratories, all while implementing its policies and regulations.

Biology laboratory assistants typically earn lower pay than research staff members. On average, biology laboratory assistants earn a $75,795 lower salary per year.While both research staff members and biology laboratory assistants complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like research projects, data analysis, and data collection, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between research staff members and biology laboratory assistants, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a research staff member might have more use for skills like "python," "machine learning," "c #," and "doe." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of biology laboratory assistants require skills like "lab equipment," "biology laboratory," "chemistry," and "anatomy. "

Biology laboratory assistants enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $53,128. For comparison, research staff members earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of biology laboratory assistants showed that they earn lower levels of education compared to research staff members. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 15.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 15.7%.

Types of research staff member

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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