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Chemist, development vs senior scientist

The differences between chemists, development and senior scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $71,571 average annual salary of a chemist, development.

The top three skills for a chemist, development include laboratory equipment, method development and R. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.

Chemist, development vs senior scientist overview

Chemist, DevelopmentSenior Scientist
Yearly salary$71,571$106,672
Hourly rate$34.41$51.28
Growth rate6%17%
Number of jobs57,54749,712
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4241
Years of experience-4

What does a chemist, development do?

A development chemist is responsible for delivering products that are specially created for a customer. You will be responsible for conducting qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses for process or quality control. Other tasks that you will perform include researching chemical substances, conducting laboratory experiments, and evaluating the effects of chemical compounds in different situations. Additionally, you will be responsible for determining chemical properties by analyzing compounds and helping resolve quality issues. As a development chemist, you are also responsible for evaluating safety procedures in laboratories and maintaining laboratory equipment.

What does a senior scientist do?

A senior scientist is usually in charge of overseeing experiments and evaluating junior scientists' performance, especially in laboratory settings. Moreover, it is also their responsibility to assess every progress report to ensure it's accuracy and validity. As a senior scientist in the field, it is essential to lead and encourage fellow scientists in their joint pursuit for scientific innovations, all while adhering to the laboratory's standards and policies.

Chemist, development vs senior scientist salary

Chemists, development and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Chemist, DevelopmentSenior Scientist
Average salary$71,571$106,672
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $109,000Between $74,000 And $153,000
Highest paying CityKingsport, TNRedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyFutureFuelBill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industryHealth CareTelecommunication

Differences between chemist, development and senior scientist education

There are a few differences between a chemist, development and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:

Chemist, DevelopmentSenior Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorChemistryChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillDuke University

Chemist, development vs senior scientist demographics

Here are the differences between chemists, development' and senior scientists' demographics:

Chemist, DevelopmentSenior Scientist
Average age4241
Gender ratioMale, 65.1% Female, 34.9%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage5%8%

Differences between chemist, development and senior scientist duties and responsibilities

Chemist, development example responsibilities.

  • Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
  • Involve in FDA, vendor and foreign agencies audits and knowledgeable in USP and GMP regulations.
  • Work with analytical instruments such as FTIR, DSC, and TGA.
  • Follow all ISO quality and environmental standards as provided in the various procedural manuals.
  • Enhance operational performance by training lab technicians and chemists in protein dialysis, HPLC analysis, and formulation process.
  • Design, fabricate and operate pilot-scale synthesis and purification equipment for GMP API syntheses (contract and salary).
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Senior scientist example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development and implementation of new technology for use in NMR applications.
  • Strategize and manage the PK/PD program with internal collaborations including chemistry, DMPK, formulation and toxicology.
  • Lead a team and develop a 24-channel GC parallel separation system for high throughput screening of catalysts.
  • Lead a team of 11 direct reports and 35 indirect reports to solve development problems for multicapillary electrophoresis instruments.
  • Influence and impact others through building and maintaining strong networks that are leverage to obtain critical information and accomplish objectives.
  • Manage collaborations with external CROs.
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Chemist, development vs senior scientist skills

Common chemist, development skills
  • Laboratory Equipment, 12%
  • Method Development, 11%
  • R, 10%
  • Product Development, 7%
  • HPLC, 6%
  • GMP, 4%
Common senior scientist skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Molecular Biology, 3%
  • Research Projects, 3%
  • C++, 3%
  • Java, 3%

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