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The differences between staff research scientists and research 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 staff research scientist and a research fellow. Additionally, a staff research scientist has an average salary of $106,793, which is higher than the $53,823 average annual salary of a research fellow.
The top three skills for a staff research scientist include QC, HPLC and product development. The most important skills for a research fellow are patients, research projects, and data analysis.
| Staff Research Scientist | Research Fellow | |
| Yearly salary | $106,793 | $53,823 |
| Hourly rate | $51.34 | $25.88 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 154,687 | 59,746 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A staff research scientist is responsible for conducting and evaluating research. They may work in areas such as meteorology, geosciences, medical research, or pharmacology. They develop experiments, conduct them, and analyze data.
A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.
Staff research scientists and research fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Research Scientist | Research Fellow | |
| Average salary | $106,793 | $53,823 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $159,000 | Between $39,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | South San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Upstart Network | McKinsey & Company Inc |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a staff research scientist and a research fellow in terms of educational background:
| Staff Research Scientist | Research Fellow | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between staff research scientists' and research fellows' demographics:
| Staff Research Scientist | Research Fellow | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% | Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 31.6% White, 48.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 27.1% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |