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The differences between chief scientists and senior 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 senior scientist. Additionally, a chief scientist has an average salary of $108,046, which is higher than the $106,672 average annual salary of a senior scientist.
The top three skills for a chief scientist include DOD, RF and IC. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.
| Chief Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $108,046 | $106,672 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $51.28 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,741 | 49,712 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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 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.
Chief scientists and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average salary | $108,046 | $106,672 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $168,000 | Between $74,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a chief scientist and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:
| Chief Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Physics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between chief scientists' and senior scientists' demographics:
| Chief Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 26.9% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |