Contract chemist vs research chemist

The differences between contract chemists and research chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a research chemist has an average salary of $75,843, which is higher than the $67,064 average annual salary of a contract chemist.

The top three skills for a contract chemist include laboratory equipment, method development and R. The most important skills for a research chemist are laboratory equipment, method development, and R.

Contract chemist vs research chemist overview

	Contract Chemist	Research Chemist
Yearly salary	$67,064	$75,843
Hourly rate	$32.24	$36.46
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	11,286	53,769
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Contract chemist vs research chemist salary

Contract chemists and research chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Contract Chemist	Research Chemist
Average salary	$67,064	$75,843
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $100,000	Between $53,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	-	McLean, VA
Highest paying state	-	Virginia
Best paying company	-	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	-	Energy

Differences between contract chemist and research chemist education

There are a few differences between a contract chemist and a research chemist in terms of educational background:

	Contract Chemist	Research Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 84%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contract chemist vs research chemist demographics

Here are the differences between contract chemists' and research chemists' demographics:

	Contract Chemist	Research Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3%	Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 18.3% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 22.2% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between contract chemist and research chemist duties and responsibilities

Contract chemist example responsibilities.

Lead QA, engineering, and operations training events.
Develop HPLC methods for the analysis of drugs and relate substances in a GMP environment.
Analyze polymer materials using ASTM methods.
Review routine and validation projects under GMP guidelines.
Blend specialty carrier gases, complete GMP and safety checklists.
Log in samples into LIMS and generate reports for customers.

Research chemist example responsibilities.

Manage the CDS and LIMS systems for the institute.
Manage and record experimental data with lab management software (LIMS).
Manage projects involving the development of GC/MS methods, particle collection systems, and Raman spectral database creation.
Characterize the particles using SEM, DSC, IR, and UV-Vis.
Identify sample structure using microscopy, crystallography, NMR, UV/VIS, GC and AAS.
Develop GC & FTIR instrumental methods of analysis to support quality of incoming raw materials to ensure quality of finish products.

Contract chemist vs research chemist skills

Common contract chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 17%
Method Development, 13%
R, 10%
Analytical Data, 7%
HPLC, 7%
Ms, 4%

Common research chemist skills

Laboratory Equipment, 10%
Method Development, 10%
R, 9%
HPLC, 5%
Analytical Chemistry, 5%
Polymer, 5%

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Contract Chemist
Contract Chemist vs Research Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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