Senior research fellow vs research laboratory technician

The differences between senior research fellows 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 senior research fellow and a research laboratory technician. Additionally, a senior research fellow has an average salary of $62,129, which is higher than the $38,308 average annual salary of a research laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a senior research fellow include python, research projects and data analysis. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Senior research fellow vs research laboratory technician overview

	Senior Research Fellow	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$62,129	$38,308
Hourly rate	$29.87	$18.42
Growth rate	17%	9%
Number of jobs	53,535	86,476
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a senior research fellow do?

Senior Research Fellows are reputable researchers employed in an academic institution or a research facility. The nature of their employment in the institution is related to their research work or field of interest. Senior Research Fellows lead a team of researchers on big projects that require more team members. They manage the team's budget, set timelines, and guide the researchers. They spearhead the analysis of the data gathered. They also set the tone for the presentation materials. Senior Research Fellows should be passionate about their field, should have a thirst for knowledge, and should be able to lead teams.

What does a research laboratory technician do?

Research laboratory technicians play a vital role in scientific laboratories. They perform varied duties and responsibilities, which include setting up, operating, and maintaining the laboratory equipment, assisting in laboratory-based research activities such as sampling, testing, and analyzing results, and providing technical support to the laboratory team members. In addition, they are expected to support the development and advancement of science and modern medicine. Other typical duties of research laboratory technicians include preparing samples and specimens, keeping abreast with current technical developments, and ensuring strict compliance with safety procedures.

Senior research fellow vs research laboratory technician salary

Senior research fellows and research laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Research Fellow	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$62,129	$38,308
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $95,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Urban Honolulu, HI	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Illinois
Best paying company	Google	Accenture
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between senior research fellow and research laboratory technician education

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

	Senior Research Fellow	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	Cornell University

Senior research fellow vs research laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between senior research fellows' and research laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Senior Research Fellow	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	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	8%	6%

Differences between senior research fellow and research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Senior research fellow example responsibilities.

Lead a project aim at improving DNA yields from various soil types in Dr. Connell's lab.
Manage grant base research and submit the grant proposal to ICAR and get approved for fund research.
Mentore a graduate student on the following topics: study design, literature reviews, drafting data plans and SAS.
Contribute to the creation of new markup standards for scholarship in the humanities.
Research unidentify payments and patients.
Conduct long-term observations of grind water dynamics and chemistry.

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.

Senior research fellow vs research laboratory technician skills

Common senior research fellow skills

Python, 12%
Research Projects, 8%
Data Analysis, 6%
C++, 6%
Research Findings, 5%
Data Collection, 4%

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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Senior Research Fellow
Senior Research Fellow vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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