Chemist lead vs senior research chemist

The differences between chemist leads and senior research chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior research chemist has an average salary of $95,520, which is higher than the $83,663 average annual salary of a chemist lead.

The top three skills for a chemist lead include laboratory instruments, analytical methods and R. The most important skills for a senior research chemist are R, chemistry, and product development.

Chemist lead vs senior research chemist overview

	Chemist Lead	Senior Research Chemist
Yearly salary	$83,663	$95,520
Hourly rate	$40.22	$45.92
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,860	55,511
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Chemist lead vs senior research chemist salary

Chemist leads and senior research chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chemist Lead	Senior Research Chemist
Average salary	$83,663	$95,520
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $117,000	Between $69,000 And $130,000
Highest paying City	Pleasanton, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	Delaware	Washington
Best paying company	Momentive	Crunchbase
Best paying industry	Health Care	Pharmaceutical

Differences between chemist lead and senior research chemist education

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

	Chemist Lead	Senior Research Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 81%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chemist lead vs senior research chemist demographics

Here are the differences between chemist leads' and senior research chemists' demographics:

	Chemist Lead	Senior Research Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 65.2% Female, 34.8%	Male, 79.1% Female, 20.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 27.5% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between chemist lead and senior research chemist duties and responsibilities

Chemist lead example responsibilities.

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Ensure FDA and ISO certification due to attention to detail.
Prepare testing protocols for raw materials, finish products, and APIs utilizing classical wet chemistry and HPLC techniques.
Use LIMS system to input data.
Learned how to troubleshoot/maintain ICP-MS instruments.
Evaluate and propose changes to existing USP test methodologies.

Senior research chemist example responsibilities.

Manage an analytical laboratory, which include SEM-EDS, GC-MS, GPC, FT-IR, ICP-MS, TGA and DSC equipment.
Conduct HPLC analysis of two main products to support equivalency programs.
Establish the fast HPLC column screening system and serve as super user.
Calculate amounts of unknown components of a distillation bottoms mixture using NMR.
Train over twenty plant operators and scientists to use the FTIR system.
Act as leading analyst to provide analytical services to several GMP API productions.

Chemist lead vs senior research chemist skills

Common chemist lead skills

Laboratory Instruments, 13%
Analytical Methods, 7%
R, 6%
Method Development, 5%
Lab Equipment, 5%
HPLC, 4%

Common senior research chemist skills

R, 16%
Chemistry, 14%
Product Development, 8%
Analytical Laboratory, 6%
Organic Synthesis, 4%
Polymer, 4%

Chemist Lead vs. similar jobs

Chemist Lead related careers

Chemist Lead related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Chemist Lead
Chemist Lead vs Senior Research Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs