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Researcher vs doctoral fellow

The differences between researchers and doctoral fellows can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a researcher and a doctoral fellow. Additionally, a researcher has an average salary of $67,145, which is higher than the $53,366 average annual salary of a doctoral fellow.

The top three skills for a researcher include python, lab equipment and C++. The most important skills for a doctoral fellow are patients, cell culture, and data analysis.

Researcher vs doctoral fellow overview

ResearcherDoctoral Fellow
Yearly salary$67,145$53,366
Hourly rate$32.28$25.66
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs30,49822,661
Job satisfaction3-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Doctoral Degree, 46%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a researcher do?

A researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.

What does a doctoral fellow do?

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.

Researcher vs doctoral fellow salary

Researchers and doctoral fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.

ResearcherDoctoral Fellow
Average salary$67,145$53,366
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $119,000Between $39,000 And $72,000
Highest paying CityNewark, NJSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutHawaii
Best paying companyRenaissance LearningIBM
Best paying industry-Pharmaceutical

Differences between researcher and doctoral fellow education

There are a few differences between a researcher and a doctoral fellow in terms of educational background:

ResearcherDoctoral Fellow
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Doctoral Degree, 46%
Most common majorBiologyChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Researcher vs doctoral fellow demographics

Here are the differences between researchers' and doctoral fellows' demographics:

ResearcherDoctoral Fellow
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 50.9% Female, 49.1%Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 32.9% White, 47.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between researcher and doctoral fellow duties and responsibilities

Researcher example responsibilities.

  • Manage social media publications to spread awareness and notifications on Facebook.
  • Perform cellular assays, DNA extractions, PCR, and sequencing to identify cellulase- producing soil bacteria.
  • Implement data visualization tools by Java.
  • Present research findings to select professors and professionals at scholar conferences.
  • Master techniques in biomedical science research methods.
  • Collaborate with doctorates in the field of immunology.
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Doctoral fellow example responsibilities.

  • Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
  • Attend courses in drug discovery, python programming, and next-generation sequencing analyses.
  • Coordinate the validation of data aquisition algorithms (C++, python) for all real and simulate data.
  • Conduct custom synthesis of organic molecules, key intermediates and building blocks for medicinal chemistry applications.
  • Design PCL/PLCL drug delivery system for DC immunotherapy.
  • Succeed in using CRISPR to genetically correct diseas iPSCs.
  • Show more

Researcher vs doctoral fellow skills

Common researcher skills
  • Python, 12%
  • Lab Equipment, 9%
  • C++, 8%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Data Collection, 4%
  • R, 4%
Common doctoral fellow skills
  • Patients, 8%
  • Cell Culture, 6%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Research Projects, 5%
  • Cell Biology, 5%
  • Immunology, 5%

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