Research volunteer vs doctoral research assistant

The differences between research volunteers and doctoral research assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a research volunteer and a doctoral research assistant. Additionally, a doctoral research assistant has an average salary of $56,458, which is higher than the $54,668 average annual salary of a research volunteer.

The top three skills for a research volunteer include lab procedures, cell culture and laboratory techniques. The most important skills for a doctoral research assistant are data collection, research projects, and PI.

Research volunteer vs doctoral research assistant overview

	Research Volunteer	Doctoral Research Assistant
Yearly salary	$54,668	$56,458
Hourly rate	$26.28	$27.14
Growth rate	19%	17%
Number of jobs	50,334	53,091
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	38	38
Years of experience	2	2

Research volunteer vs doctoral research assistant salary

Research volunteers and doctoral research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Research Volunteer	Doctoral Research Assistant
Average salary	$54,668	$56,458
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $85,000	Between $41,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between research volunteer and doctoral research assistant education

There are a few differences between a research volunteer and a doctoral research assistant in terms of educational background:

	Research Volunteer	Doctoral Research Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Research volunteer vs doctoral research assistant demographics

Here are the differences between research volunteers' and doctoral research assistants' demographics:

	Research Volunteer	Doctoral Research Assistant
Average age	38	38
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 16.8% White, 52.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between research volunteer and doctoral research assistant duties and responsibilities

Research volunteer example responsibilities.

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Assist in monitoring MRI scans.
Assist in cloning and expression for RNA research.
Analyze cell lysates and purify proteins by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis.
Design a PowerPoint presentation to teach senior adults about email accounts.
Assist with laboratory experiments, collect data and DNA samples, contribute to lab protocols.

Doctoral research assistant example responsibilities.

Process and manage GIS databases to contribute towards research in human transportation behavior.
Receive additional training in SAS.
Used electronic and structure evaluations using quantum chemistry packages such as GAUSSIAN.
Prepare and implement unique proposals for the synthesis of polymer and small molecule targets.
Discover novel mechanical functions for collagen and short DNA molecules in response to force.
Develop the use of FPLC for detection and characterization of large DNA structural motifs.

Research volunteer vs doctoral research assistant skills

Common research volunteer skills

Lab Procedures, 11%
Cell Culture, 8%
Laboratory Techniques, 7%
Data Collection, 6%
R, 4%
RT-PCR, 4%

Common doctoral research assistant skills

Data Collection, 12%
Research Projects, 11%
PI, 9%
Data Analysis, 6%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Cell Culture, 5%

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Research Volunteer
Research Volunteer vs Doctoral Research Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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