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The differences between food safety 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 food safety scientist and a senior scientist. Additionally, a senior scientist has an average salary of $106,672, which is higher than the $80,238 average annual salary of a food safety scientist.
The top three skills for a food safety scientist include safety data, safety issues and drug safety. The most important skills for a senior scientist are patients, data analysis, and molecular biology.
| Food Safety Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $80,238 | $106,672 |
| Hourly rate | $38.58 | $51.28 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 106,128 | 49,712 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 40 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A food safety scientist's responsibility is to improve food quality and packaging and to create new food products by developing excellent processing, storage, and transportation procedures with proper compliance with the health and safety standards. He/she is skilled at analyzing the nutritional food content, discovering new food sources, and researching safe and healthy food processing. In addition, this food scientist studies the microbiological, chemical, and physical properties of food and ingredients to ensure its safety for consumers.
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.
Food safety scientists and senior scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Food Safety Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average salary | $80,238 | $106,672 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $132,000 | Between $74,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a food safety scientist and a senior scientist in terms of educational background:
| Food Safety Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | Cornell University | Duke University |
Here are the differences between food safety scientists' and senior scientists' demographics:
| Food Safety Scientist | Senior Scientist | |
| Average age | 40 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9% | Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 12.3% White, 72.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 19% | 8% |