Forensic chemist vs quality control analyst

The differences between forensic chemists and quality control analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality control analyst has an average salary of $59,217, which is higher than the $56,597 average annual salary of a forensic chemist.

The top three skills for a forensic chemist include ms, GC and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a quality control analyst are QC, lab equipment, and microbiology.

Forensic chemist vs quality control analyst overview

	Forensic Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Yearly salary	$56,597	$59,217
Hourly rate	$27.21	$28.47
Growth rate	6%	9%
Number of jobs	7,902	85,546
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	42	38
Years of experience	-	-

What does a forensic chemist do?

A forensic chemist analyzes non-biological trace evidence at crime scenes for the determination of unknown materials. Forensic chemists apply chemistry and its subfield forensic toxicology and employ the scientific method to investigate the presented evidence. The result of their analysis provides investigators and medical examiners the necessary information for logical conclusions on probable crimes. Patience and versatility are often cited as the important qualities forensic chemists need to acquire.

What does a quality control analyst do?

Quality assurance representatives are professionals who are responsible for ensuring the quality of units produced or manufactured is following the standards set by the industry. These representatives supervise the entire production process to identify erroneous methods or tools being used by workers and observing produced for visible defects. They are required to perform various tests to check for the durability of the product and other desirable characteristics. Quality assurance representatives must also collaborate with the manufacturing engineer to implement quality control programs and preparing training manuals and quality guidelines.

Forensic chemist vs quality control analyst salary

Forensic chemists and quality control analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Average salary	$56,597	$59,217
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $80,000	Between $40,000 And $86,000
Highest paying City	-	Raleigh, NC
Highest paying state	-	North Carolina
Best paying company	-	Barclays
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between forensic chemist and quality control analyst education

There are a few differences between a forensic chemist and a quality control analyst in terms of educational background:

	Forensic Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 82%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Chemistry	Biology
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Stanford University

Forensic chemist vs quality control analyst demographics

Here are the differences between forensic chemists' and quality control analysts' demographics:

	Forensic Chemist	Quality Control Analyst
Average age	42	38
Gender ratio	Male, 40.6% Female, 59.4%	Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 12.8% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	8%

Differences between forensic chemist and quality control analyst duties and responsibilities

Forensic chemist example responsibilities.

Achieve and maintain ISO 9001-2000 certification by creating and implementing policies and serving as management representative.
Input data results using a LIMS information system.
Analyze controlled substances by GC/MS and FTIR and arson residues by GC/FID.
Start to implement procedures for ISO 9000quality certification.
Update existing and develop new standard operating procedures to meet USP requirements for vitamin assays.
Perform quality testing in an FDA enforce environment for a variety of products while demonstrating good manufacturing practices.

Quality control analyst example responsibilities.

SAP, Trackwise and outlook manage.
Approve QC laboratory data ensuring correct GLP and GMP guidelines are follow and validate procedures are utilize.
Train and assist junior chemist to ensure completion of all testing on HPLC, GC, and UPLC.
Detect unknown concentrations of metals and toluene in waste water by AA and GC with purge and trap attachments.
Contract for environmental monitoring need to qualify facilities for GMP operations.
Monitor, calibrate and troubleshoot laboratory equipment to ensure proper compliance with procedures and accuracy of test results.

Forensic chemist vs quality control analyst skills

Common forensic chemist skills

Ms, 12%
GC, 9%
Laboratory Equipment, 6%
FTIR, 6%
Gas Chromatography, 5%
Liquid Chromatography, 4%

Common quality control analyst skills

QC, 13%
Lab Equipment, 5%
Microbiology, 4%
Test Methods, 4%
HPLC, 3%
FDA, 3%

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Forensic Chemist vs Quality Control Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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