Scientific aide vs research laboratory technician

The differences between scientific aides and research laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a scientific aide and a research laboratory technician. Additionally, a research laboratory technician has an average salary of $38,308, which is higher than the $33,594 average annual salary of a scientific aide.

The top three skills for a scientific aide include data entry, water quality data and GPS. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Scientific aide vs research laboratory technician overview

	Scientific Aide	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$33,594	$38,308
Hourly rate	$16.15	$18.42
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	40,844	86,476
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Scientific aide vs research laboratory technician salary

Scientific aides and research laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Scientific Aide	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$33,594	$38,308
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $42,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	-	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	-	Illinois
Best paying company	-	Accenture
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between scientific aide and research laboratory technician education

There are a few differences between a scientific aide and a research laboratory technician in terms of educational background:

	Scientific Aide	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 77%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	Cornell University

Scientific aide vs research laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between scientific aides' and research laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Scientific Aide	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 50.6% Female, 49.4%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 13.8% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6%	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 15.7% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between scientific aide and research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Scientific aide example responsibilities.

Identify owl species by sight and sound prompt using hoot flute and reed caller.
Utilize GPS and GIS for recording various field activities (e.g.
Haul seine the Christina river to monitor shad and herring movement/reproduction.
Navigate to and through remote locations using paper maps and GPS units.
Conduct deer surveys in various counties in California, using fecal DNA analysis.
Extract DNA and RNA from plant and insect samples for bacterial or viral detection.

Research laboratory technician example responsibilities.

Manage RT-PCR screening of candidate genes.
Manage the development of innovative visualization and concept mapping of contest environment analysis challenges and analyst skill sets.
Use many scientific techniques to collect and analyze RNA, DNA, and specific proteins from lines of potato plants.
Preform computational molecular simulation of DNA and RNA.
Retain patients from previous research projects and update database using patient histories and correlating pertinent medical data.
Work with non human primates in an HIV testing laboratory.

Scientific aide vs research laboratory technician skills

Common scientific aide skills

Data Entry, 11%
Water Quality Data, 11%
GPS, 8%
Biological Data, 5%
Data Collection, 5%
GIS, 5%

Common research laboratory technician skills

Patients, 9%
Chemistry, 7%
Laboratory Equipment, 7%
Cell Culture, 5%
Research Data, 4%
Research Projects, 4%

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Scientific Aide
Scientific Aide vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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