Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between formulation scientists 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 formulation scientist and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, which is higher than the $90,067 average annual salary of a formulation scientist.
The top three skills for a formulation scientist include dosage forms, scale-up and GMP. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.
| Formulation Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $90,067 | $93,941 |
| Hourly rate | $43.30 | $45.16 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 45,763 | 121,054 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A formulation scientist specializes in conducting different scientific experiments to create new products and enhance existing formulations. They usually work at laboratories to establish plans and objectives, conduct extensive research and analyses to design and develop a formula, create test structures to evaluate products, and set strategies to meet budgets, goals, and timelines. They also assess existing products to determine their weaknesses and strengths, developing solutions against potential issues and existing problems. Additionally, a formulation scientist maintains records of all procedures and implements protocols and safety regulations.
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.
Formulation scientists and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Formulation Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average salary | $90,067 | $93,941 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $126,000 | Between $63,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | BioMarin | Etsy |
| Best paying industry | Agriculture | Technology |
There are a few differences between a formulation scientist and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:
| Formulation Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between formulation scientists' and staff scientists' demographics:
| Formulation Scientist | Staff Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% | Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 32.9% White, 47.5% 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% |