Associate staff scientist vs staff scientist

The differences between associate staff scientists and staff 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 associate staff scientist and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, 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 scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Associate staff scientist vs staff scientist overview

	Associate Staff Scientist	Staff Scientist
Yearly salary	$88,792	$93,941
Hourly rate	$42.69	$45.16
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	111,254	121,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Associate staff scientist vs staff scientist salary

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

	Associate Staff Scientist	Staff Scientist
Average salary	$88,792	$93,941
Salary range	Between $62,000 And $126,000	Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	San Carlos, CA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	California
Best paying company	SAS Institute	Etsy
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between associate staff scientist and staff scientist education

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

	Associate Staff Scientist	Staff Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Associate staff scientist vs staff scientist demographics

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

	Associate Staff Scientist	Staff Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
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, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between associate staff scientist and staff scientist 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.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.

Associate staff scientist vs staff scientist skills

Common associate staff scientist skills

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

Common staff scientist skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
Statistical Analysis, 4%
RNA, 4%

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Associate Staff Scientist
Associate Staff Scientist vs Staff Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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