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What does an associate scientist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Betsy Smith
What does an associate scientist do

An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.

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Associate scientist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real associate scientist resumes:

  • Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
  • Generate crispr knockout STAT1, STAT3 and STAT1 & 3double knockout cell lines.
  • Use CRISPR technology to create target knockout cell line.
  • Direct ISO 9000 4.10 team registration activities and perform internal audits.
  • Prepare stock reagents and buffers for use in manufacturing assay kits.
  • Confirm the quality of product meet specifications according to cGMP and ICH guidelines.
  • Complete all relevant paperwork according to specific ISO regulations and guidelines for IVD.
  • Perform Taqman assays to validate the assay & optimizing assays to be implement in HTS.
  • Develop and validate models to test the efficacy of compounds aiming to lower ocular pressure in patients.
  • Develop and qualify ADA and PK/TK assays for non-clinical and clinical studies utilizing MSD and ELISA platforms.
  • Review in-house and customer's method-validation protocols and reports to ensure adherence to USP and ICH guidelines.
  • Develop a tool to segment out-out the 3D lesion from the brain in AIS patients to know resolution.
  • Cloned and amplify both mouse and rabbit EMMPRIN DNA fragments, generate both sense and anti sense EMMPRIN RNA probes.
  • Perform RNA isolation, RT-PCR, PCR, and sequencing of top clones for projects as a quality control check.
  • Develop LC-MS methods to analyze synthesize small molecules, conjugate dyes and conjugate linkers (to protein and polymers).

Associate scientist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Associate Scientists are proficient in Chemistry, Patients, and Cell Culture.

We break down the percentage of Associate Scientists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Chemistry, 9%

    Assisted supervisor with Clinical Chemistry Branch budget review, procurement management and provides suitable monthly reports.

  • Patients, 8%

    Performed essential data analysis to co-author a publication observing the correlation of T cell repertoire to clinical characteristics in lupus patients.

  • Cell Culture, 5%

    Created tracking tables that allowed evaluation of materials and protocols used which facilitated formulating strategies for meeting cell culture challenges.

  • Data Analysis, 5%

    Engineered experiments on state-of-the-art statistical machine translation and speech recognition systems while conducting data analysis and rapid prototyping using Perl.

  • GMP, 4%

    Perform Environmental Monitoring to ensure manufacturing facility is in a GMP state to support drug substance manufacturing.

  • Lab Equipment, 3%

    Manage bi-weekly resources schedule for lab users and utilize lab equipment efficiently and effectively.

"chemistry," "patients," and "cell culture" are among the most common skills that associate scientists use at work. You can find even more associate scientist responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for an associate scientist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what associate scientists do because "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." Additionally, an associate scientist resume shows how associate scientists use communication skills: "assigned a staff of three scientists and a laboratory space in recognition of superior communication and method development skills. "

Observation skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling associate scientist duties is observation skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." According to an associate scientist resume, here's how associate scientists can utilize observation skills in their job responsibilities: "develop, configure, monitor, and troubleshoot laboratory-centralized data collection and organizational process for observations and numerical model output. "

Most common associate scientist skills

The three companies that hire the most associate scientists are:

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Compare different associate scientists

Associate scientist vs. Research fellow

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.

We looked at the average associate scientist salary and compared it with the wages of a research fellow. Generally speaking, research fellows are paid $22,638 lower than associate scientists per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both associate scientist and research fellow positions are skilled in chemistry, patients, and cell culture.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an associate scientist are more likely to require skills like "gmp," "lab equipment," "glp," and "analytical methods." On the other hand, a job as a research fellow requires skills like "research projects," "immunology," "cell biology," and "python." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Research fellows earn the highest salaries when working in the non profits industry, with an average yearly salary of $57,261. On the other hand, associate scientists are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $80,987.The education levels that research fellows earn slightly differ from associate scientists. In particular, research fellows are 1.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an associate scientist. Additionally, they're 27.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Associate scientist vs. Chemical technician

A chemical technician is responsible for supporting chemists and laboratory technicians in performing laboratory investigations and examining chemical components and structures. Chemical technicians ensure the stability of laboratory tools and equipment, performing proper sterilization and segregation of disposable materials, and maintaining the adequacy of inventory. They also record the research progress, including scientific methods, and write observation reports for reference. A chemical technician manages the cleanliness and orderliness of the facility to avoid potential hazards and complications during chemical operations.

Chemical technician positions earn lower pay than associate scientist roles. They earn a $33,877 lower salary than associate scientists per year.A few skills overlap for associate scientists and chemical technicians. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "gmp," "lab equipment," and "hplc. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that associate scientist responsibilities requires skills like "chemistry," "patients," "cell culture," and "data analysis." But a chemical technician might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "safety procedures," "hazardous materials," "osha," and "math."

Chemical technicians earn a lower average salary than associate scientists. But chemical technicians earn the highest pay in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average salary of $66,439. Additionally, associate scientists earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $80,987 annually.chemical technicians earn lower levels of education than associate scientists in general. They're 14.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 27.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for associate scientists in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Betsy SmithDr. Betsy Smith LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

Honestly, I think anytime a scientist tries to predict what will be "big" in a few years, they're likely to fail. That said, I think there's a growing interest among consumers for more "green" products, so research into those areas will likely grow. For instance, we might see attempts to develop new plastics that are safer for the environment and humans, perhaps biodegradable. Organic chemistry traditionally uses harsh solvents and chemicals that are difficult to dispose of safely, so there is an effort to find alternatives to these. Analytical chemistry techniques for separating and identifying compounds, like GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), will likely continue to be necessary. CRISPR, the relatively new gene-editing technology, is likely to become even more widely used on the biochemistry side of things.

Associate scientist vs. Research and development assistant

A research and development assistant is responsible for supporting the research team in collecting studies and information to support research claims and evaluate data materials. Research and development assistants interview participants, conduct data and statistical analysis, and interpret survey results. They ensure to document all findings and research progress and report any concerns to the research supervisor for immediate resolution. A research and development assistant must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in participating in brainstorming sessions and finalize research subjects as required.

On average scale, research and development assistants bring in lower salaries than associate scientists. In fact, they earn a $13,304 lower salary per year.By looking over several associate scientists and research and development assistants resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "data analysis," "gmp," and "lab equipment." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from associate scientist resumes include skills like "chemistry," "patients," "cell culture," and "flow cytometry," whereas a research and development assistant is more likely to list skills in "data entry," "laboratory equipment," "assist r," and "java. "

Research and development assistants earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $71,587. Comparatively, associate scientists have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $80,987.research and development assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to associate scientists. Specifically, they're 2.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Associate scientist vs. Quality control analyst

Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects. They are required to perform various tests to check for the durability of the product and other desirable characteristics. Quality assurance representatives must also collaborate with the manufacturing engineer to implement quality control programs and preparing training manuals and quality guidelines.

Quality control analysts typically earn lower pay than associate scientists. On average, quality control analysts earn a $17,244 lower salary per year.While both associate scientists and quality control analysts complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like data analysis, lab equipment, and hplc, the two careers vary in some skills.While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "chemistry," "patients," "cell culture," and "gmp" are skills that commonly show up on associate scientist resumes. On the other hand, quality control analysts use skills like microbiology, test results, test procedures, and capa on their resumes.The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for quality control analysts, with average annual pay of $62,870. Comparatively, the highest associate scientist annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.In general, quality control analysts hold lower degree levels compared to associate scientists. Quality control analysts are 7.4% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 3.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of associate scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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