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Director of cell biology vs senior scientist

The differences between directors of cell biology 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 director of cell biology and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $79,225 average annual salary of a director of cell biology.

The top three skills for a director of cell biology include cell biology, cell culture and cell-based assays. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.

Director of cell biology vs senior scientist overview

Director Of Cell BiologySenior Scientist
Yearly salary$79,225$106,672
Hourly rate$38.09$51.28
Growth rate17%17%
Number of jobs20,93449,712
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age4141
Years of experience44

What does a director of cell biology do?

A director of cell biology is responsible for leading the monoclonal antibody group in immunoassay re-design for product integrity. You will oversee the initial research and development stage of the proprietary molecular detection devices and train all team members on becoming compliant with good laboratory practice. In addition, you will be responsible for executing small- and full-scale cell line development projects and developing ELISA methods for monitoring pollutants. You are also responsible for advising the senior management team on competing products and technologies.

What does a senior scientist do?

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.

Director of cell biology vs senior scientist salary

Directors of cell biology and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Director Of Cell BiologySenior Scientist
Average salary$79,225$106,672
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $124,000Between $74,000 And $153,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARedwood City, CA
Highest paying stateTennesseeCalifornia
Best paying companyWestern DigitalBill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Best paying industryPharmaceuticalTelecommunication

Differences between director of cell biology and senior scientist education

There are a few differences between a director of cell biology and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:

Director Of Cell BiologySenior Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 52%Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common majorBiologyChemistry
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaDuke University

Director of cell biology vs senior scientist demographics

Here are the differences between directors of cell biology' and senior scientists' demographics:

Director Of Cell BiologySenior Scientist
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 59.0% Female, 41.0%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.6% White, 53.7% 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 Percentage8%8%

Differences between director of cell biology and senior scientist duties and responsibilities

Director of cell biology example responsibilities.

  • Lead the FDA audit of the facility as ChanTest quality representative for the site.
  • Process, analyze and upload HTS data that lead to the discovery of new structural classes of small molecules.
  • Train all staff on becoming GLP compliant.
  • Develop ELISA methods to monitor priority pollutants for the EPA and commercial clients.
  • Learned and perform various techniques relate to ELISA assays, western-blot, protein purification, phage transduction of bacteria and phage-display.
  • Conduct product verification testing against the product requirements specification, developing essential documentation for European and FDA submissions.
  • Show more

Senior scientist example responsibilities.

  • Lead the development and implementation of new technology for use in NMR applications.
  • Strategize and manage the PK/PD program with internal collaborations including chemistry, DMPK, formulation and toxicology.
  • Lead a team and develop a 24-channel GC parallel separation system for high throughput screening of catalysts.
  • Lead a team of 11 direct reports and 35 indirect reports to solve development problems for multicapillary electrophoresis instruments.
  • Influence and impact others through building and maintaining strong networks that are leverage to obtain critical information and accomplish objectives.
  • Manage collaborations with external CROs.
  • Show more

Director of cell biology vs senior scientist skills

Common director of cell biology skills
  • Cell Biology, 16%
  • Cell Culture, 10%
  • Cell-Based Assays, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • Drug Discovery, 5%
  • Cell Lines, 4%
Common senior scientist skills
  • Patients, 11%
  • Data Analysis, 6%
  • Molecular Biology, 3%
  • Research Projects, 3%
  • C++, 3%
  • Java, 3%

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