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The differences between bioinformaticians 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 a bioinformatician and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, which is higher than the $71,359 average annual salary of a bioinformatician.
The top three skills for a bioinformatician include python, data analysis and next-generation sequencing. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.
| Bioinformatician | Staff Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $71,359 | $93,941 |
| Hourly rate | $34.31 | $45.16 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 16,034 | 121,054 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Bioinformaticians are experts who are responsible for developing and conducting research by using methods and software tools to collect and analyze complex biological data. By combining their research in biology, medicine, and health-related studies with information technology, these bioinformaticians are required to interpret data that covers areas such as genetics or pharmaceutics. They must develop databases to compile a large amount of information from activities such as gene expression profiling and protein expression. Bioinformaticians must also maintain laboratory documents and keep updated with scientific or medical journals.
The primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.
Bioinformaticians and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bioinformatician | Staff Scientist | |
| Average salary | $71,359 | $93,941 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $127,000 | Between $63,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Branford, CT | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | Etsy |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a bioinformatician and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:
| Bioinformatician | Staff Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Biostatistics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between bioinformaticians' and staff scientists' demographics:
| Bioinformatician | Staff Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.1% Female, 16.9% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 39.0% White, 42.2% 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% |