Materials scientist vs senior materials scientist

The differences between materials scientists and senior materials 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 materials scientist and a senior materials scientist. Additionally, a senior materials scientist has an average salary of $102,039, which is higher than the $84,459 average annual salary of a materials scientist.

The top three skills for a materials scientist include polymer, SEM and materials characterization. The most important skills for a senior materials scientist are R, additive manufacturing, and DSC.

Materials scientist vs senior materials scientist overview

	Materials Scientist	Senior Materials Scientist
Yearly salary	$84,459	$102,039
Hourly rate	$40.61	$49.06
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	46,795	45,656
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Materials scientist vs senior materials scientist salary

Materials scientists and senior materials scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Materials Scientist	Senior Materials Scientist
Average salary	$84,459	$102,039
Salary range	Between $59,000 And $119,000	Between $66,000 And $156,000
Highest paying City	Novato, CA	Ridgefield, CT
Highest paying state	Nevada	Nevada
Best paying company	Meta	ASML Holding
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between materials scientist and senior materials scientist education

There are a few differences between a materials scientist and a senior materials scientist in terms of educational background:

	Materials Scientist	Senior Materials Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Materials scientist vs senior materials scientist demographics

Here are the differences between materials scientists' and senior materials scientists' demographics:

	Materials Scientist	Senior Materials Scientist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 72.9% Female, 27.1%	Male, 76.0% Female, 24.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 29.6% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 29.0% White, 52.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between materials scientist and senior materials scientist duties and responsibilities

Materials scientist example responsibilities.

Manage equipment calibration and maintenance to comply with CGMPs, FDA and OSHA
Achieve API form stability improvement by encapsulation and subsequent analysis.
Manage large-scale GMP manufacturing and pilot-scale trials for material development evaluations.
Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Develop testing methods for characterizations of latent heat storage materials using DSC, TGA, and FTIR instruments.
Study the film morphological properties by SEM, XRD, XRF.

Senior materials scientist example responsibilities.

Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
Key activities include process chemistry development, synthesis of intermediates, compound purification and structure identification, and comprehensive scientific documentation.
Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.

Materials scientist vs senior materials scientist skills

Common materials scientist skills

Polymer, 10%
SEM, 7%
Materials Characterization, 6%
Data Analysis, 5%
Technical Reports, 5%
FTIR, 4%

Common senior materials scientist skills

R, 14%
Additive Manufacturing, 12%
DSC, 10%
FTIR, 7%
Product Development, 6%
Experimental Design, 6%

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Materials Scientist vs Senior Materials Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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