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The differences between lead scientists and 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 scientist. Additionally, a lead scientist has an average salary of $110,028, which is higher than the $97,344 average annual salary of a scientist.
The top three skills for a lead scientist include C++, java and data analysis. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Lead Scientist | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $110,028 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $52.90 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 49,455 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| 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.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Lead scientists and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $110,028 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $153,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Cruz, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Tennessee | California |
| Best paying company | PayPal | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead scientist and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Lead Scientist | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between lead scientists' and scientists' demographics:
| Lead Scientist | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.9% Female, 29.1% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| 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, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |