Bench chemist vs senior chemist

The differences between bench chemists and senior chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior chemist has an average salary of $91,008, which is higher than the $57,401 average annual salary of a bench chemist.

The top three skills for a bench chemist include analytical methods, HPLC and wet chemistry. The most important skills for a senior chemist are method development, laboratory equipment, and HPLC.

Bench chemist vs senior chemist overview

	Bench Chemist	Senior Chemist
Yearly salary	$57,401	$91,008
Hourly rate	$27.60	$43.75
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,038	12,823
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Bench chemist vs senior chemist salary

Bench chemists and senior chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bench Chemist	Senior Chemist
Average salary	$57,401	$91,008
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $84,000	Between $67,000 And $123,000
Highest paying City	-	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	-	Vermont
Best paying company	-	Google
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between bench chemist and senior chemist education

There are a few differences between a bench chemist and a senior chemist in terms of educational background:

	Bench Chemist	Senior Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Bench chemist vs senior chemist demographics

Here are the differences between bench chemists' and senior chemists' demographics:

	Bench Chemist	Senior Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%	Male, 67.6% Female, 32.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 22.3% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between bench chemist and senior chemist duties and responsibilities

Bench chemist example responsibilities.

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Prepare ASTM samples and test physical properties.
Perform USP testing on a wide variety of pharmaceuticals to guarantee product quality.
Analyze intermediates and products through analytical data such as LCMS, NMR, etc.
Maintain detailed notebooks containing results and transmit those results via LIMS to the proper plant personnel.
Perform final release testing on batch samples to establish conformance to company, third party, or FDA specifications.

Senior chemist example responsibilities.

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Conduct GC-MS, TGA, and FTIR, UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis of extractables and elemental impurities.
Develop Simethicone assay method by FT-IR in liquid dosage.
Used EPA methods for actinide, technetium, strontium, and tritium determination.
Prepare submission documentation, including CMC sections, for IDE and PMA submissions.
Supervise mobile lab team of analysts at various EPA super fund site locations for PCB and halo-hydrocarbons analysis testing.

Bench chemist vs senior chemist skills

Common bench chemist skills

Analytical Methods, 12%
HPLC, 10%
Wet Chemistry, 10%
Method Development, 9%
GC, 8%
GMP, 8%

Common senior chemist skills

Method Development, 8%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Methods, 5%
R, 4%
GMP, 4%

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Bench Chemist vs Senior Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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