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The differences between development 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 development scientist and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $92,514 average annual salary of a development scientist.
The top three skills for a development scientist include chemistry, data analysis and GMP. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.
| Development Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $92,514 | $106,672 |
| Hourly rate | $44.48 | $51.28 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 92,039 | 49,712 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| 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.
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.
Development scientists and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average salary | $92,514 | $106,672 |
| Salary range | Between $68,000 And $124,000 | Between $74,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Amazon | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a development scientist and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:
| Development Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between development scientists' and senior scientists' demographics:
| Development Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| 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, 6.3% 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% |