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Associate staff scientist vs staff engineer

The differences between associate staff scientists and staff engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an associate staff scientist, becoming a staff engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a staff engineer has an average salary of $107,530, which is higher than the $88,792 average annual salary of an associate staff scientist.

The top three skills for an associate staff scientist include FDA, sops and cellular assays. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.

Associate staff scientist vs staff engineer overview

Associate Staff ScientistStaff Engineer
Yearly salary$88,792$107,530
Hourly rate$42.69$51.70
Growth rate17%2%
Number of jobs111,254277,011
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age4141
Years of experience46

Associate staff scientist vs staff engineer salary

Associate staff scientists and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Associate Staff ScientistStaff Engineer
Average salary$88,792$107,530
Salary rangeBetween $62,000 And $126,000Between $69,000 And $167,000
Highest paying CitySan Carlos, CASan Mateo, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companySAS InstituteFlexport
Best paying industryTechnologyTelecommunication

Differences between associate staff scientist and staff engineer education

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

Associate Staff ScientistStaff Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common majorBiochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular BiologyElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Associate staff scientist vs staff engineer demographics

Here are the differences between associate staff scientists' and staff engineers' demographics:

Associate Staff ScientistStaff Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 56.1% Female, 43.9%Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%5%

Differences between associate staff scientist and staff engineer 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.
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Staff engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage complete design flow: schematic creation, layout design, PCB fabrication, parts procurement and assembly.
  • Develop and manage technical procedures for quality control to comply with ISO laboratory accreditation.
  • Implement a process for reusing SilverStream Java custom reports and UI code on a ColdFusion server saving 1.5 man-years of development.
  • Develop and document communication stack API, enabling parallel development of third-party stack and UI interface.
  • Participate in relocating network infrastructure, server farm, network monitoring and IP telephony to another data center.
  • Web pages contain HTML and JavaScript.
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Associate staff scientist vs staff engineer skills

Common associate staff scientist skills
  • FDA, 68%
  • Sops, 8%
  • Cellular Assays, 8%
  • DNA, 6%
  • Data Collection, 5%
  • PCR, 5%
Common staff engineer skills
  • Java, 15%
  • Python, 10%
  • Architecture, 7%
  • Software Development, 4%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • API, 3%

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