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The differences between development 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 development scientist and a research scientist. Additionally, a development scientist has an average salary of $92,514, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a development scientist include chemistry, data analysis and GMP. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Development Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $92,514 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $44.48 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 92,039 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Companies with a manufacturing arm usually employ Development Scientists. They are responsible for studying the company's processes and products and conducting research on improving these. They work on new strategies to make production and manufacturing more efficient. They also conduct feasibility studies to ensure that the strategies they come up with are effective and analyze the results of such studies. They then present these findings to their colleagues and develop implementation strategies for smoother streamlining of new processes.
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.
Development scientists and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $92,514 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $124,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a development scientist and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Development Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between development scientists' and research scientists' demographics:
| Development Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |