Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead scientists and research 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 lead scientist and a research scientist. Additionally, a lead scientist has an average salary of $110,028, which is higher than the $89,998 average annual salary of a research scientist.
The top three skills for a lead scientist include C++, java and data analysis. The most important skills for a research scientist are python, data analysis, and patients.
| Lead Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $110,028 | $89,998 |
| Hourly rate | $52.90 | $43.27 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 49,455 | 93,013 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lead scientist is primarily in charge of leading the efforts in conducting scientific studies within a particular program or project. Their responsibilities revolve around setting goals and objectives, delegating tasks, establishing guidelines, and overseeing the progress and performance of other scientists and workers in a laboratory. They may also liaise with clients and external parties, including the media. Furthermore, as a lead scientist, it is essential to encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the laboratory's safety policies and regulations to maintain a safe and productive work environment.
The job of research scientists is to design, undertake, and analyze information from experiments, trials, and laboratory-based investigations. They usually perform experiments in different areas, including medical research, pharmacology, and geoscience. They have varied duties and responsibilities that include planning and carrying out experiments, conducting fieldwork, and overseeing junior staff members like the technicians. They are typically working for a government laboratory, an environmental agency, and other organizations. Many of these scientists also work in teams and support staff.
Lead scientists and research scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average salary | $110,028 | $89,998 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $153,000 | Between $58,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Cruz, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Tennessee | California |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a lead scientist and a research scientist in terms of educational background:
| Lead Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Duke University |
Here are the differences between lead scientists' and research scientists' demographics:
| Lead Scientist | Research Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.9% Female, 29.1% | Male, 62.5% Female, 37.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 29.6% White, 50.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |