Chemical laboratory scientist vs research chemist

The differences between chemical laboratory scientists and research chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a research chemist has an average salary of $75,843, which is higher than the $69,602 average annual salary of a chemical laboratory scientist.

The top three skills for a chemical laboratory scientist include sample preparation, gas chromatography and extraction. The most important skills for a research chemist are laboratory equipment, method development, and R.

Chemical laboratory scientist vs research chemist overview

	Chemical Laboratory Scientist	Research Chemist
Yearly salary	$69,602	$75,843
Hourly rate	$33.46	$36.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	77,291	53,769
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Chemical laboratory scientist vs research chemist salary

Chemical laboratory scientists and research chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemical Laboratory Scientist	Research Chemist
Average salary	$69,602	$75,843
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $108,000	Between $53,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	McLean, VA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Virginia
Best paying company	Biogen	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between chemical laboratory scientist and research chemist education

There are a few differences between a chemical laboratory scientist and a research chemist in terms of educational background:

	Chemical Laboratory Scientist	Research Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chemical laboratory scientist vs research chemist demographics

Here are the differences between chemical laboratory scientists' and research chemists' demographics:

	Chemical Laboratory Scientist	Research Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 55.3% Female, 44.7%	Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 19.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 22.2% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between chemical laboratory scientist and research chemist duties and responsibilities

Chemical laboratory scientist example responsibilities.

Design and conduct experiments at a chemistry lab in order to monitor the continuous growing of a genetically modify bacterium.
Develop a binding experiment utilizing fluorescence polarization to screen discovery compounds for interaction with various RNA constructs.

Research chemist example responsibilities.

Manage the CDS and LIMS systems for the institute.
Manage and record experimental data with lab management software (LIMS).
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Characterize the particles using SEM, DSC, IR, and UV-Vis.
Identify sample structure using microscopy, crystallography, NMR, UV/VIS, GC and AAS.
Develop GC & FTIR instrumental methods of analysis to support quality of incoming raw materials to ensure quality of finish products.

Chemical laboratory scientist vs research chemist skills

Common chemical laboratory scientist skills

Sample Preparation, 24%
Gas Chromatography, 22%
Extraction, 17%
Absorption, 14%
Chemical Analysis, 11%
Ms, 8%

Common research chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Method Development, 10%
R, 9%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Chemistry, 5%
Polymer, 5%

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Chemical Laboratory Scientist
Chemical Laboratory Scientist vs Research Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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