Toxicologist vs research technician

The differences between toxicologists and research 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 toxicologist and a research technician. Additionally, a toxicologist has an average salary of $75,601, which is higher than the $43,034 average annual salary of a research technician.

The top three skills for a toxicologist include risk assessments, chemistry and product safety. The most important skills for a research technician are patients, data collection, and cell culture.

Toxicologist vs research technician overview

	Toxicologist	Research Technician
Yearly salary	$75,601	$43,034
Hourly rate	$36.35	$20.69
Growth rate	17%	9%
Number of jobs	21,835	64,786
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	41	40
Years of experience	4	4

What does a toxicologist do?

A toxicologist specializes in studying toxic substances and how it affects living organisms such as humans and animals. They may work at learning institutions, private laboratories or businesses, medical facilities, and even government agencies. Although the extent of their duties varies on their place of employment, it typically includes conducting studies and scientific research, coordinating with fellow experts, gathering and processing samples through various laboratory procedures, maintaining records, and drawing conclusions based on the research findings.

What does a research technician do?

A research technician is responsible for assisting in research studies and laboratory experiments. Research technicians operate laboratory tools and equipment, process data for experiments, collect samples for study, analyze existing research materials, analyze experiment results, manage inventories and stock supplies, record observations, and create reports for further examination. A research technician must have strong analytical and scientific knowledge, as well as a passion for research writing and investigations crucial for this kind of industry.

Toxicologist vs research technician salary

Toxicologists and research technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Toxicologist	Research Technician
Average salary	$75,601	$43,034
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $124,000	Between $31,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	Paramus, NJ	Pasadena, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	Exxon Mobil	GCP Applied Technologies
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between toxicologist and research technician education

There are a few differences between a toxicologist and a research technician in terms of educational background:

	Toxicologist	Research Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	University of Southern California	Cornell University

Toxicologist vs research technician demographics

Here are the differences between toxicologists' and research technicians' demographics:

	Toxicologist	Research Technician
Average age	41	40
Gender ratio	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%	Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 23.3% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 16.5% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between toxicologist and research technician duties and responsibilities

Toxicologist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Review in-house and contract toxicology studies on Monsanto products to ensure compliance with FDA and EPA regulations.
Evaluate, verify and certify patient results from multiple levels of testing; ELISA, LCMS, MSMS
Review and report both positive and negative initial drug screening data from the laboratory, and release results into the LIS.
Compile computer database of FDA regulatory compliance data.
Lead selection of CROs and qualification activities.

Research technician example responsibilities.

Manage a DNA database and work with researchers to retrieve or send out samples and results.
Lead experiments to assess survivor behavior differences in zebrafish contaminate with dietary mercury.
Prepare reagents for use in processing samples, DNA and RNA extractions, and QC.
Investigate and validate various acute phase protein assays as OA biomarkers in rodent animal models.
Perform DNA extraction and analysis for the purpose of identifying bacterial strand for waste stream characterization.
Extend course knowledge of CRISPR to experiment.

Toxicologist vs research technician skills

Common toxicologist skills

Risk Assessments, 13%
Chemistry, 10%
Product Safety, 6%
FDA, 6%
Toxicology Studies, 5%
Safety Assessments, 4%

Common research technician skills

Patients, 9%
Data Collection, 6%
Cell Culture, 5%
Laboratory Equipment, 5%
Research Projects, 4%
Lab Equipment, 3%

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Toxicologist
Toxicologist vs Research Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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