Research volunteer vs research specialist

The differences between research volunteers and research specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a research volunteer, becoming a research specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a research volunteer has an average salary of $54,668, which is higher than the $52,662 average annual salary of a research specialist.

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

Research volunteer vs research specialist overview

	Research Volunteer	Research Specialist
Yearly salary	$54,668	$52,662
Hourly rate	$26.28	$25.32
Growth rate	19%	19%
Number of jobs	50,334	79,341
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	38	37
Years of experience	2	6

Research volunteer vs research specialist salary

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

	Research Volunteer	Research Specialist
Average salary	$54,668	$52,662
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $85,000	Between $35,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Novartis
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between research volunteer and research specialist education

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

	Research Volunteer	Research Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Harvard University	University of Georgia

Research volunteer vs research specialist demographics

Here are the differences between research volunteers' and research specialists' demographics:

	Research Volunteer	Research Specialist
Average age	38	37
Gender ratio	Male, 38.7% Female, 61.3%	Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0%
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, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 14.1% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	10%

Differences between research volunteer and research specialist 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.

Research specialist example responsibilities.

Manage both GLP and non-GLP studies that are contracted to CROs.
Create weekly presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint and manage monthly board meetings.
Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
Assist in surgical procedures on both rabbits and rats to obtain tissue specimens for RNA isolation for subsequent RT-PCR
Perform and supervise applied bench scale and pilot scale process research on extraction, distillation, and reaction processes.
Perform the timely and accurate execution of CESG protocols, procedures and results within the cloning and crystallography teams.

Research volunteer vs research specialist skills

Common research volunteer skills

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

Common research specialist skills

Data Collection, 7%
Patients, 7%
Research Projects, 7%
Data Analysis, 5%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Cell Culture, 4%

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Research Volunteer
Research Volunteer vs Research Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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