Researcher vs doctoral student

The differences between researchers and doctoral students can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a researcher has an average salary of $67,145, which is higher than the $56,000 average annual salary of a doctoral student.

The top three skills for a researcher include python, lab equipment and C++. The most important skills for a doctoral student are C++, python, and java.

Researcher vs doctoral student overview

	Researcher	Doctoral Student
Yearly salary	$67,145	$56,000
Hourly rate	$32.28	$26.92
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	30,498	15,502
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	41	44
Years of experience	4	-

Researcher vs doctoral student salary

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

	Researcher	Doctoral Student
Average salary	$67,145	$56,000
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $119,000	Between $39,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	Newark, NJ	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Renaissance Learning	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between researcher and doctoral student education

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

	Researcher	Doctoral Student
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of Southern California	Stanford University

Researcher vs doctoral student demographics

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

	Researcher	Doctoral Student
Average age	41	44
Gender ratio	Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1%	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%
Race ratio	Black 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, 11.0% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 11.8% White, 53.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between researcher and doctoral student 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.

Doctoral student example responsibilities.

Manage multiple collaborative projects peripheral to dissertation that leverage experience in characterization and inorganic synthesis.
Lead the in-vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of homologous recombination and investigate structure-function effects of mutant enzymes.
Used RT-PCR, ELISA, western blot, culture of establish cell lines, and immunohistochemistry.
Apply NMR techniques to assess the effect of a health supplement on neurological changes in Alzheimer s disease.
Analyze the molecular structures by NMR and FR-IR, determine the molecular weight and polymerization kinetics by GPC.
Develop complex ELISA and western blot methods to study and characterize the host immune response to intracellular parasitism.

Researcher vs doctoral student skills

Common researcher skills

Python, 12%
Lab Equipment, 9%
C++, 8%
Data Analysis, 6%
Data Collection, 4%
R, 4%

Common doctoral student skills

C++, 15%
Python, 11%
Java, 10%
Cell Culture, 6%
Chemistry, 6%
Data Analysis, 5%

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Researcher vs Doctoral Student

Updated January 8, 2025

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