Medical researcher vs staff scientist

The differences between medical researchers and staff 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 medical researcher and a staff scientist. Additionally, a staff scientist has an average salary of $93,941, which is higher than the $61,177 average annual salary of a medical researcher.

The top three skills for a medical researcher include patients, statistical analysis and vital signs. The most important skills for a staff scientist are data analysis, research projects, and molecular biology.

Medical researcher vs staff scientist overview

	Medical Researcher	Staff Scientist
Yearly salary	$61,177	$93,941
Hourly rate	$29.41	$45.16
Growth rate	17%	17%
Number of jobs	51,264	121,054
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	4	4

Medical researcher vs staff scientist salary

Medical researchers and staff scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Researcher	Staff Scientist
Average salary	$61,177	$93,941
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $106,000	Between $63,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Rose Medical Center	Etsy
Best paying industry	Health Care	Technology

Differences between medical researcher and staff scientist education

There are a few differences between a medical researcher and a staff scientist in terms of educational background:

	Medical Researcher	Staff Scientist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	University of Southern California	Duke University

Medical researcher vs staff scientist demographics

Here are the differences between medical researchers' and staff scientists' demographics:

	Medical Researcher	Staff Scientist
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4%	Male, 67.8% Female, 32.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 26.5% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between medical researcher and staff scientist duties and responsibilities

Medical researcher example responsibilities.

Create Linux shell scripts to automate common process which severely reduce manual work load and processing time for the entire lab.
Experience in quantifying RNA and protein (BCA method) as well as synthesizing complementary DNA from RNA.
Extract RNA and protein using TRIzol reagent.
Compose PowerPoint presentation providing in-depth explanation for lack of preliminary results, as well as proposed process resolution.
Adhere to strict turn-a-round deadlines and maintain confidential information by following proper ISO procedures.

Staff scientist example responsibilities.

Lead efforts to replace a critical radioactive immunoassay with a non-radioactive format to measure clinical samples.
Manage clinical sample testing using MSD and ELISA in LIMS, including data review and approval using LIMS.
Assist in managing and maintenance of HPLC and Prep-HPLC systems to ensure maximum productivity for the process development group.
Manage pediatric dose development project, technology transfer project and alternate API supplier qualification project on budget and on schedule
Assist with RNA and DNA extractions from FFPE tissue and blood.
Supervise temps performing HPLC assays and validations during development and production campaigns under GMP conditions.

Medical researcher vs staff scientist skills

Common medical researcher skills

Patients, 14%
Statistical Analysis, 11%
Vital Signs, 10%
Laboratory Practices, 8%
Clinical Research Studies, 8%
Research Projects, 7%

Common staff scientist skills

Data Analysis, 9%
Research Projects, 7%
Molecular Biology, 5%
Next-Generation Sequencing, 4%
Statistical Analysis, 4%
RNA, 4%

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Medical Researcher vs Staff Scientist

Updated January 8, 2025

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