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The differences between chief scientists and associate 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 chief scientist and an associate scientist. Additionally, a chief scientist has an average salary of $108,046, which is higher than the $76,461 average annual salary of an associate scientist.
The top three skills for a chief scientist include DOD, RF and IC. The most important skills for an associate scientist are chemistry, patients, and cell culture.
| Chief Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $108,046 | $76,461 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $36.76 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,741 | 54,950 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Chief scientists supervise, plan, and budget the funds for research activities to publish their discoveries with influential publication companies. By doing commentaries with the press and media, they spread their knowledge about science to the public. They are mentors or coaches to non-professional scientists and help them build a case to get their promotion. For their subordinates to feel motivated to reach their goals when working on research projects, chief scientists must maintain a professional, creative, but engaging environment.
An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.
Chief scientists and associate scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average salary | $108,046 | $76,461 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $168,000 | Between $53,000 And $109,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | Phillips 66 |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a chief scientist and an associate scientist in terms of educational background:
| Chief Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Physics | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between chief scientists' and associate scientists' demographics:
| Chief Scientist | Associate Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |