Volunteer research assistant vs research laboratory technician

The differences between volunteer research assistants and research laboratory technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a volunteer research assistant, becoming a research laboratory technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a volunteer research assistant has an average salary of $52,906, which is higher than the $38,308 average annual salary of a research laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a volunteer research assistant include lab equipment, DR and literature reviews. The most important skills for a research laboratory technician are patients, chemistry, and laboratory equipment.

Volunteer research assistant vs research laboratory technician overview

	Volunteer Research Assistant	Research Laboratory Technician
Yearly salary	$52,906	$38,308
Hourly rate	$25.44	$18.42
Growth rate	19%	9%
Number of jobs	50,983	86,476
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	38	40
Years of experience	2	4

Volunteer research assistant vs research laboratory technician salary

Volunteer research assistants and research laboratory technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Volunteer Research Assistant	Research Laboratory Technician
Average salary	$52,906	$38,308
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $81,000	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 volunteer research assistant and research laboratory technician education

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

	Volunteer Research Assistant	Research Laboratory Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Psychology	Biology
Most common college	Harvard University	Cornell University

Volunteer research assistant vs research laboratory technician demographics

Here are the differences between volunteer research assistants' and research laboratory technicians' demographics:

	Volunteer Research Assistant	Research Laboratory Technician
Average age	38	40
Gender ratio	Male, 39.3% Female, 60.7%	Male, 49.0% Female, 51.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 16.4% White, 53.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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 volunteer research assistant and research laboratory technician duties and responsibilities

Volunteer research assistant example responsibilities.

Evaluate patients' study eligibility via medical history, obtain informed consent, enroll patients, and achieve enrollment quotas.
Compile subject questionnaires using SPSS data analysis software.
Perform DNA extraction and estimation.
Analyze isolated purity of RNA samples with Nanodrop machine.
Assist in procedures when need, such as isolating DNA.
Perform tissue homogenization, RNA isolation, and Qiagen RNA easy clean up.

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.

Volunteer research assistant vs research laboratory technician skills

Common volunteer research assistant skills

Lab Equipment, 14%
DR, 12%
Literature Reviews, 7%
Data Collection, 6%
Cell Culture, 5%
Research Projects, 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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Volunteer Research Assistant
Volunteer Research Assistant vs Research Laboratory Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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