Director of cell biology vs staff scientist

The differences between directors of cell biology 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 director of cell biology and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, 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 staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Director of cell biology vs staff scientist overview

	Director Of Cell Biology	Staff Scientist
Yearly salary	$79,225	$93,941
Hourly rate	$38.09	$45.16
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	20,934	121,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

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 staff scientist do?

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.

Director of cell biology vs staff scientist salary

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

	Director Of Cell Biology	Staff Scientist
Average salary	$79,225	$93,941
Salary range	Between $50,000 And $124,000	Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	Tennessee	California
Best paying company	Western Digital	Etsy
Best paying industry	Pharmaceutical	Technology

Differences between director of cell biology and staff scientist education

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

	Director Of Cell Biology	Staff Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Director of cell biology vs staff scientist demographics

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

	Director Of Cell Biology	Staff Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratio	Black 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, 6.2% 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%

Differences between director of cell biology and staff 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.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.

Director of cell biology vs staff 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 staff scientist skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
Statistical Analysis, 4%
RNA, 4%

Director Of Cell Biology vs. similar jobs

Director Of Cell Biology related careers

Director Of Cell Biology related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Director Of Cell Biology
Director Of Cell Biology vs Staff Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs