What does a formulation scientist do?

Chemical Laboratory Assistants are professionals who help researchers and scientists in performing lab experiments and tests. Their tasks involve the maintenance, cleanliness, or sterilization of laboratory equipment or instruments. They perform physical or chemical laboratory tests assisting scientists in the quantitative or qualitative analyses of liquids, gaseous materials, and solids. The necessary skills and knowledge for this job include chemistry, lab reporting, chemical solutions, and safety procedures.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, formulation scientist responsibilities require skills like "dosage forms," "scale-up," "gmp," and "qc." Meanwhile a typical chemistry laboratory assistant has skills in areas such as "lab equipment," "lab safety," "chemistry lab," and "lab experiments." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

A research associate is responsible for assisting the research team, organizing and interpreting findings, and verifying information before presenting the study to the board. Research associates duties also include gathering and comparing data from multiple sources, analyzing the current industry trends, creating draft outlines for reports, collecting individual contacts for interview purposes, and helping with the development of research procedures. A research associate must have excellent time-management skills and ability to multi-task, especially on meeting strict deadlines and conducting studies.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that formulation scientist responsibilities requires skills like "scale-up," "drug products," "cmc," and "stability studies." But a research associate might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "research projects," "data analysis," and "data collection."

In a manufacturing setting, a quality control associate is in charge of conducting various tests to ensure that the products meet the company's standard criteria. Their responsibilities revolve around inspecting the workforce and workload involved in the production process, identifying errors or inconsistencies, recommending solutions and alterations, and maintaining records and documentation. Furthermore, as a quality control associate, it is essential to coordinate with department staff and produce progress reports, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, formulation scientists are more likely to have skills like "scale-up," "cmc," "technical reports," and "project management." But a quality control associate is more likely to have skills like "qc testing," "test methods," "test results," and "lims."

A research chemist specializes in conducting studies and experiments to develop new products. Their duties primarily focus on conducting research and assessments, gathering and analyzing chemical samples, developing ideas, conducting tests to study chemical reactions, maintaining records of all procedures, and utilizing previous studies. Their research findings can be used to create new medicines, enhance existing products, and lead to innovations. When it comes to employment, a research chemist may work for pharmaceutical companies, private laboratories, government agencies, and learning institutions.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between formulation scientists and research chemists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a formulation scientist might have more use for skills like "scale-up," "qc," "drug products," and "cmc." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of research chemists require skills like "analytical chemistry," "polymer," "organic synthesis," and "gc-ms."