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The differences between staff research scientists and researchers 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 researcher. Additionally, a staff research scientist has an average salary of $106,793, which is higher than the $67,145 average annual salary of a researcher.
The top three skills for a staff research scientist include QC, HPLC and product development. The most important skills for a researcher are python, lab equipment, and C++.
| Staff Research Scientist | Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $106,793 | $67,145 |
| Hourly rate | $51.34 | $32.28 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 154,687 | 30,498 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| 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 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.
Staff research scientists and researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Staff Research Scientist | Researcher | |
| Average salary | $106,793 | $67,145 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $159,000 | Between $37,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Upstart Network | Renaissance Learning |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a staff research scientist and a researcher in terms of educational background:
| Staff Research Scientist | Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between staff research scientists' and researchers' demographics:
| Staff Research Scientist | Researcher | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| 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, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |