Post job

What does a lead scientist do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Betsy Smith

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.

On this page

Lead scientist responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real lead scientist resumes:

  • Manage cell culture facility transition to GLP compliance.
  • Develop reagents for ELISA methods and manage regulatory aspects of vaccine potency assays with the USDA/EMEA.
  • Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
  • Engage in ELISA base in vitro vaccine potency assay development.
  • Develop new HPLC methodologies for new and existing products as per USP.
  • Serve a key role in the compliance of quality and FDA regulations.
  • Have in-depth knowledge with USP, ASTM, cGMP and FDA regulations/guidelines.
  • Develop medium-scale virus production and quality control methods in accordance with GLP standard.
  • Write technical field reports, maintain sampling and profiling equipment, and train junior employees.
  • Optimize process and protocols for sensitive and specific profiling of biomarkers expression in cancer cells isolate from simple blood draw.
  • Design key targets and supervise one chemistry associate resulting in the synthesis of additional compounds, some with excellent biological activity.
  • Supervise team members in the organic extractions lab daily scheduling and testing procedures.
  • Engage in proactive process design, QbD.
  • Invite to submit article for QbD theme edition of AAPS Pharm.
  • Assist with the daily running of the HTS.

Lead scientist skills and personality traits

We calculated that 7% of Lead Scientists are proficient in C++, Java, and Data Analysis.

We break down the percentage of Lead Scientists that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • C++, 7%

    Developed deliverable software and served as configuration manager for C++ search planning product.

  • Java, 6%

    Developed computational cognitive models of human performance in task interruption experiments using ACT-R cognitive architecture, Lisp and Java.

  • Data Analysis, 5%

    Used Longitudinal data analysis, Bayesian forecasting methods, Sequential Monte Carlo methods & Boosting.

  • GMP, 5%

    Write and implement SOP procedures to assure GMP and regulatory compliance.

  • Method Development, 4%

    Performed Method Development and Method Verification activities.

  • Extraction, 4%

    Developed procedure to switch from manual extraction to automated extraction of patient samples using the Tomtec Quadra 4.

Common skills that a lead scientist uses to do their job include "c++," "java," and "data analysis." You can find details on the most important lead scientist responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a lead scientist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what lead scientists do because "medical scientists must be able to explain their research in nontechnical ways." Additionally, a lead scientist resume shows how lead scientists use communication skills: "participated in method transfers of new products with akzo nobel served as qc representative on employee communication committee"

Observation skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling lead scientist duties is observation skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "medical scientists conduct experiments that require monitoring samples and other health-related data." According to a lead scientist resume, here's how lead scientists can utilize observation skills in their job responsibilities: "coordinated and performed commercial release testing of marketed product at manufacturing site in qc environment to address fda audit observations"

Most common lead scientist skills

The three companies that hire the most lead scientists are:

Choose from 10+ customizable lead scientist resume templates

Build a professional lead scientist resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your lead scientist resume.
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume
Lead Scientist Resume

Compare different lead scientists

Lead scientist vs. Senior research fellow

Senior Research Fellows are reputable researchers employed in an academic institution or a research facility. The nature of their employment in the institution is related to their research work or field of interest. Senior Research Fellows lead a team of researchers on big projects that require more team members. They manage the team's budget, set timelines, and guide the researchers. They spearhead the analysis of the data gathered. They also set the tone for the presentation materials. Senior Research Fellows should be passionate about their field, should have a thirst for knowledge, and should be able to lead teams.

We looked at the average lead scientist salary and compared it with the wages of a senior research fellow. Generally speaking, senior research fellows are paid $47,899 lower than lead scientists per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both lead scientist and senior research fellow positions are skilled in c++, java, and data analysis.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between lead scientists and senior research fellow. For instance, lead scientist responsibilities require skills such as "gmp," "method development," "extraction," and "test methods." Whereas a senior research fellow is skilled in "python," "research findings," "visualization," and "statistical analysis." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Senior research fellows tend to reach higher levels of education than lead scientists. In fact, senior research fellows are 8.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 12.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Lead scientist vs. Postdoctoral research associate

A postdoctoral research associate is responsible for assisting the educational institution's research department, writing research reports, analyzing research methods, and collecting information and related studies to support the research claims. Postdoctoral research associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, reporting research updates to the research head, performing adjustments as needed, and gaining more expertise on the subject by brainstorming and discussing strategic procedures for the study. They may also conduct field investigation or coordinate with other institutions for additional reference, depending on the research's scope and limitation.

On average, postdoctoral research associates earn a $57,243 lower salary than lead scientists a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Lead scientists and postdoctoral research associates both require similar skills like "c++," "data analysis," and "extraction" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, lead scientist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "java," "gmp," "method development," and "analytical methods." Meanwhile, a postdoctoral research associate has duties that require skills in areas such as "python," "chemistry," "post-doctoral," and "cell culture." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Postdoctoral research associates may earn a lower salary than lead scientists, but postdoctoral research associates earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $69,999. On the other hand, lead scientists receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $110,425.postdoctoral research associates earn similar levels of education than lead scientists in general. They're 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 12.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for lead scientists in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Betsy SmithDr. Betsy Smith LinkedIn profile

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

Honestly, I think anytime a scientist tries to predict what will be "big" in a few years, they're likely to fail. That said, I think there's a growing interest among consumers for more "green" products, so research into those areas will likely grow. For instance, we might see attempts to develop new plastics that are safer for the environment and humans, perhaps biodegradable. Organic chemistry traditionally uses harsh solvents and chemicals that are difficult to dispose of safely, so there is an effort to find alternatives to these. Analytical chemistry techniques for separating and identifying compounds, like GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), will likely continue to be necessary. CRISPR, the relatively new gene-editing technology, is likely to become even more widely used on the biochemistry side of things.

Lead scientist vs. Research fellow

A research fellow is an academic researcher who conducts research and analysis of comprehensive literature, data, and results and provides literature reviews. He/She supervises research assistants and recruits study participants to interview them for a particular study. To become a research fellow, a candidate should have a doctorate in a relevant discipline and publish peer-reviewed papers. Also, a research fellow can be an independent investigator or be supervised by a principal investigator.

On average scale, research fellows bring in lower salaries than lead scientists. In fact, they earn a $56,205 lower salary per year.By looking over several lead scientists and research fellows resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "c++," "data analysis," and "clinical trials." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, lead scientists are more likely to have skills like "java," "gmp," "method development," and "extraction." But a research fellow is more likely to have skills like "patients," "cell culture," "immunology," and "crispr."

Research fellows earn the highest salary when working in the non profits industry, where they receive an average salary of $57,261. Comparatively, lead scientists have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $110,425.Most research fellows achieve a similar degree level compared to lead scientists. For example, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Lead scientist vs. Postdoctoral associate

A postdoctoral associate is responsible for researching to support scientific claims and theories by collecting evidence and information to answer scientific questions. Postdoctoral associates must have excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to interact with people and document investigation findings. They also utilize laboratory tools and equipment for scientific researches, conduct field investigations, and interview participants. A postdoctoral associate designs comprehensive research models to discuss results with the panel and the team efficiently and accurately.

Postdoctoral associates tend to earn a lower pay than lead scientists by an average of $55,678 per year.According to resumes from lead scientists and postdoctoral associates, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "c++," "java," and "data analysis. "While some skills are required in each professionacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities, there are some differences to note. "gmp," "method development," "analytical methods," and "clinical trials" are skills that commonly show up on lead scientist resumes. On the other hand, postdoctoral associates use skills like patients, tip, biomedical, and crispr on their resumes.The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for postdoctoral associates, with average annual pay of $53,445. Comparatively, the highest lead scientist annual salary comes from the technology industry.The average resume of postdoctoral associates showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to lead scientists. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 17.7%.

Types of lead scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs