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The differences between chief scientists and research 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 a research scientist. Additionally, a chief scientist has an average salary of $108,046, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a chief scientist include DOD, RF and IC. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Chief Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $108,046 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,741 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Chief scientists and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $108,046 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $168,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a chief scientist and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Chief Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Physics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between chief scientists' and research scientists' demographics:
| Chief Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |