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The differences between chief scientists and staff 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 staff scientist. Additionally, a chief scientist has an average salary of $108,046, which is higher than the $93,941 average annual salary of a staff scientist.
The top three skills for a chief scientist include DOD, RF and IC. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.
| Chief Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $108,046 | $93,941 |
| Hourly rate | $51.95 | $45.16 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 60,741 | 121,054 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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 primary role of a Staff Scientist is to develop and manage scientific research projects with minimal supervision. They are also responsible for the technical and budgetary aspects of scientific research projects.
Chief scientists and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average salary | $108,046 | $93,941 |
| Salary range | Between $69,000 And $168,000 | Between $63,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Uber Technologies | Etsy |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a chief scientist and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:
| Chief Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Physics | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Duke University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between chief scientists' and staff scientists' demographics:
| Chief Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.1% Female, 13.9% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| 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, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |