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The differences between analytical scientists and senior scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an analytical scientist and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $90,807 average annual salary of an analytical scientist.
The top three skills for an analytical scientist include HPLC, GMP and analytical chemistry. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.
| Analytical Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $90,807 | $106,672 |
| Hourly rate | $43.66 | $51.28 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 52,832 | 49,712 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The duties of an analytical scientist depend on their place or industry of employment. An analytical scientist specializes in conducting tests and experiments using different analytical techniques to identify or develop chemical compositions. Their tasks typically revolve around maintaining extensive documentation of all procedures, reviewing and interpreting results, and summarizing them for reports and other documentation. Moreover, an analytical scientist may coordinate with other scientists on projects, prepare presentations for different audiences, and even train junior scientists.
A senior scientist is usually in charge of overseeing experiments and evaluating junior scientists' performance, especially in laboratory settings. Moreover, it is also their responsibility to assess every progress report to ensure it's accuracy and validity. As a senior scientist in the field, it is essential to lead and encourage fellow scientists in their joint pursuit for scientific innovations, all while adhering to the laboratory's standards and policies.
Analytical scientists and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Analytical Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average salary | $90,807 | $106,672 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $125,000 | Between $74,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Rafael, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an analytical scientist and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:
| Analytical Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between analytical scientists' and senior scientists' demographics:
| Analytical Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.7% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |