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The differences between chief scientists and researchers 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 researcher. Additionally, a chief scientist has an average salary of $108,046, which is higher than the $67,145 average annual salary of a researcher.
The top three skills for a chief scientist include DOD, RF and IC. The most important skills for a researcher are python, lab equipment, and C++.
| Chief Scientist | Researcher | |
| Yearly salary | $108,046 | $67,145 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $32.28 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,741 | 30,498 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| 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.
A researcher is responsible for collating, organizing, and verifying necessary information for a specific subject. Researchers' duties include analyzing data, gathering and comparing resources, ensuring facts, sharing findings with the whole research team, adhering to required methodologies, performing fieldwork as needed, and keeping critical information confidential. Researchers must be knowledgeable about the current market trends and align findings with the research goals. A researcher must show strong communication skills, as well as strong attention to detail and time-management skills to meet deadlines under minimal supervision.
Chief scientists and researchers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Scientist | Researcher | |
| Average salary | $108,046 | $67,145 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $168,000 | Between $37,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Newark, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | Renaissance Learning |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a chief scientist and a researcher in terms of educational background:
| Chief Scientist | Researcher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Physics | Biology |
| Most common college | Duke University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between chief scientists' and researchers' demographics:
| Chief Scientist | Researcher | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 50.9% Female, 49.1% |
| 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, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |