Associate staff scientist vs senior research fellow

The differences between associate staff scientists and senior research fellows can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an associate staff scientist and a senior research fellow. Additionally, an associate staff scientist has an average salary of $88,792, which is higher than the $62,129 average annual salary of a senior research fellow.

The top three skills for an associate staff scientist include FDA, sops and cellular assays. The most important skills for a senior research fellow are python, research projects, and data analysis.

Associate staff scientist vs senior research fellow overview

	Associate Staff Scientist	Senior Research Fellow
Yearly salary	$88,792	$62,129
Hourly rate	$42.69	$29.87
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	111,254	53,535
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Associate staff scientist vs senior research fellow salary

Associate staff scientists and senior research fellows have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Associate Staff Scientist	Senior Research Fellow
Average salary	$88,792	$62,129
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $126,000	Between $40,000 And $95,000
Highest paying City	San Carlos, CA	Urban Honolulu, HI
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	Hawaii
Best paying company	SAS Institute	Google
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between associate staff scientist and senior research fellow education

There are a few differences between an associate staff scientist and a senior research fellow in terms of educational background:

	Associate Staff Scientist	Senior Research Fellow
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Associate staff scientist vs senior research fellow demographics

Here are the differences between associate staff scientists' and senior research fellows' demographics:

	Associate Staff Scientist	Senior Research Fellow
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between associate staff scientist and senior research fellow duties and responsibilities

Associate staff scientist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Process client samples requiring DNA purification and DNA characterization.
Perform sequencing and real time PCR.
Conduct research on global regulatory networks using mutagenesis and DNA microarray techniques.
Conduct behavioral neurobiology pharmaceutical research including data analysis, record keeping following FDA regulations.
Key activities include process chemistry development, synthesis of intermediates, compound purification and structure identification, and comprehensive scientific documentation.

Senior research fellow example responsibilities.

Lead a project aim at improving DNA yields from various soil types in Dr. Connell's lab.
Manage grant base research and submit the grant proposal to ICAR and get approved for fund research.
Mentore a graduate student on the following topics: study design, literature reviews, drafting data plans and SAS.
Contribute to the creation of new markup standards for scholarship in the humanities.
Research unidentify payments and patients.
Conduct long-term observations of grind water dynamics and chemistry.

Associate staff scientist vs senior research fellow skills

Common associate staff scientist skills

FDA, 68%
Sops, 8%
Cellular Assays, 8%
DNA, 6%
Data Collection, 5%
PCR, 5%

Common senior research fellow skills

Python, 12%
Research Projects, 8%
Data Analysis, 6%
C++, 6%
Research Findings, 5%
Data Collection, 4%

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Associate Staff Scientist
Associate Staff Scientist vs Senior Research Fellow

Updated January 8, 2025

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